sway
verb (used without object)
to move or swing to and fro, as something fixed at one end or resting on a support.
had been swaying
-
past perfect progressiveof sway.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Absorbed in Brahms, Katchen had not noticed that the chandeliers had been swaying.
From Time Magazine Archive
Welder Vincent Brown reported to his wife that the tower had been swaying too much for work.
From Time Magazine Archive
Above the masts of the brig the dome of the clear heaven was full of lights that flickered, as if some mighty breathings high up there had been swaying about the flame of the stars.
From The Rescue A Romance of the Shallows by Joseph Conrad
He mastered the wild agitation that had been swaying him, thrust the paper that he was carrying into his pocket, and turned to go back for the treasonable letters.
From The Lion's Skin by Rafael Sabatini
As for Gelid, he had been swaying himself backwards and forwards, half asleep, on the hind legs of his chair all this while, puffing away at a cigar.
From Tom Cringle's Log by Michael Scott
