wring
verb (used with object)
to twist forcibly.
had been wringing
-
past perfect progressiveof wring.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.
Miss Hope, who had been wringing her hands, bewildered and hopelessly at sea, hailed this concrete suggestion with visible relief.
From Betty Gordon in the Land of Oil The Farm That Was Worth a Fortune by Alice B. Emerson
There was a few moments’ cessation, and Mrs Hampton, who had been wringing her hands by the window, and trying hard to master her emotion, came up to say calmly: “Can I do anything?”
From The Mynns' Mystery by George Manville Fenn
Doctor Maür was away with a patient on the other side of the island; and French Eva had been wringing her hands unintelligibly on the Maürs' porch.
From The Best Short Stories of 1921 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story by Edward J. (Edward Joseph Harrington) O'Brien
The nursemaid had been wringing out the doll's clothes for the little lady, but now they moved on together.
From A Flat Iron for a Farthing or Some Passages in the Life of an only Son by M. V. Wheelhouse
