witness
verb (used with object)
to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception.
had been witnessing
-
past perfect progressiveof witness.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.
He didn’t realize that what he had been witnessing — the art making, dancing — could be considered protesting.
From New York Times ● Jun. 28, 2020
“My whole life had been witnessing failed marriages, but I saw how important it was to Barbara and that it would be easier for the family if we were legally wed,” he said.
From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2018
And then she absolutely ripped her tee shot with the same gloriously smooth tempo I had been witnessing for years, sending her 4-wood -- which she normally hits about 225 yards -- about 255 yards.
From Golf Digest ● May 20, 2013
The lady stepped out to the plazoleta, deeply moved, it seemed, by what she had been witnessing.
From The Torrent Entre Naranjos by Isaac Goldberg
A few moments later little knots of the play-goers passed him, still laughing with remembrance of the farce they had been witnessing.
From Vignettes of Manhattan; Outlines in Local Color by Brander Matthews
