exist
verb (used without object)
to have actual being; be.
had existed
-
past perfectof exist.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
How would a leveraged fund have performed if it had existed long enough to suffer multiples of those losses?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Black people didn’t earn their freedom until the United States had existed for almost 90 years.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Even if he gets his money back, Ma said the trust that had existed among the San Fernando Valley’s Vietnamese community has been broken by the scandal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
By carefully arranging tiny particles of silver into custom-built structures, they created and stabilized a previously elusive state of matter that had existed only in theoretical models.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2026
She felt fiercely that she had to make up for her father’s criminal disloyalty, if it had existed, whatever it might have been.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
