Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Officials determined that two columns had buckled on the building’s 21st and 22nd floors and that several floors near the columns were sagging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
City information officer Jay Pelayo told news agency AFP that the building's walls and scaffolding surrounding it had buckled, likely trapping people in a pile of debris.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
Parts of the 5, 10 and 14 freeways had buckled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
As for the plane, the aborted first landing had buckled and fractured a portion of its forward pressure bulkhead.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 30, 2019
With one more tug and two more pushes, all four of Kevin’s legs had buckled and he lay on his side, clearly not at all sure how he’d gotten there.
From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness
