wipe
verb (used with object)
to rub lightly with or on a cloth, towel, paper, the hand, etc., in order to clean or dry the surface of.
had been wiping
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past perfect progressiveof wipe.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.
There were purple shadows under her brown eyes and he noticed a small sponge in her hand: She had been wiping his face.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Across the room, Mia, who had been wiping the countertops, froze.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
The bartender left a towel stuffed in the glass he had been wiping.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
Diana turned away with the cups she had been wiping, that she might not show her face.
From Diana by Susan Warner
The Patriarch, in his armchair, had been scrawling words upon the slate all evening—and she had been wiping them off!
From The Miracle Man by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard
