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.
Roosevelt erected an edifice of regulation and public assistance where nothing of the kind had existed in American history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
If they had existed in perfectly equal quantities, virtually all matter could have disappeared, leaving no material to form stars, planets, or life.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
Black people didn’t earn their freedom until the United States had existed for almost 90 years.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
The firm's approach to this is based on exploiting the properties of a so-called quasi-particle, which had existed only in theory, since it was first predicted in the 1930s by Italian physicist Ettore Majorana.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
The friendliness that had existed before was gone; men and women struggled to be in the forefront, fighting their way with ferocity, thrusting forward with strident urgency.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
