thicken
verb (used with or without object)
to make or become thick or thicker.
had been thickening
-
past perfect progressiveof thicken.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.
All afternoon the seas had been thickening, and now, as they came out on deck, the water was running high and rough.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
Through the morning, the mist had been thickening.
From Afloat on the Ohio An Historical Pilgrimage of a Thousand Miles in a Skiff, from Redstone to Cairo by Reuben Gold Thwaites
It had been thickening, fold on fold, a long while now; and now, he thought sternly, the rending must be done, and should be done with his own hands.
From Crittenden A Kentucky Story of Love and War by John Fox
The weather, which had been thickening, grew heavier still in the afternoon, and great banks of clouds were rising out of the west.
From By What Authority? by Robert Hugh Benson
While Congress had been deliberating on the adoption of the army, and the nomination of a commander-in-chief, events had been thickening and drawing to a crisis in the excited region about Boston.
From Life of George Washington — Volume 01 by Washington Irving
