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.
The session itself had centered on how institutions become trapped by assumptions they no longer even recognize as assumptions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Entering Wednesday, all the discussion around the Dodgers had centered on the bullpen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025
The pope’s comments came at the tail end of his seven-hour trip to Budapest, where much of the attention had centered on how Francis would address a leader who is his political opposite.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 12, 2021
Much of our conversation early on had centered on his hyperregimented diet and exercise habits.
From New York Times ● May 23, 2018
The third phase, a short one, had centered about Mary Harkness, a vivacious, pretty, intelligent little brunette.
From The Lost Wagon by James Arthur Kjelgaard
