Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a way, he had been telegraphing it for several years.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2021
Blitzer brought on CNN political analyst David Chalian to confirm the dark fears the anchor had been telegraphing for nearly an hour.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2020
BP had been telegraphing its willingness to make a deal for some time, and Rosneft formally submitted an offer on Thursday to buy out BP’s 50 percent of a joint venture here called TNK-BP.
From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2012
Bill Gardner, the secretary of state in New Hampshire, had been telegraphing his decision for over a week.
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2011
Colonel Waller had been telegraphing from Cedar Mountain to all reachable parts of the North where the Crows were likely to be, without getting one word of comfort.
From The Preacher of Cedar Mountain A Tale of the Open Country by Ernest Thompson Seton
