whirl
verb (used without object)
to turn around, spin, or rotate rapidly.
had been whirling
-
past perfect progressiveof whirl.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.
Inside the small house, her well-made furniture, with its carved arms and curved legs, lay scattered as if some giant Mixmaster had been whirling away.
From Time Magazine Archive
For the last two hours he had been whirling a pair of dumb-bells in the air—he called them “poises”—and singing to himself a song with no words and no tune.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Nearly all the past week they had been whirling briskly: now, being rather out of breath, they rocked lazily in the clear, still air.
From The Junior Classics — Volume 6 Old-Fashioned Tales by William Patten
As he listened to Raoul, he seemed to emerge from the conflicting emotions which had been whirling him about and sucking him under.
From O Pioneers! by Willa Sibert Cather
So she did," said Horace, looking as bewildered as if he had been whirling around with his eyes shut; "so she did—didn't she?
From Little Folks Astray by Sophie May
