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.

Before this season, savvy pitchers with expert command and dazzling spin had been able to dupe human umps into calling strikes on balls just off the plate, a time-honored tradition that had existed for generations.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

There were divided into two sets - known to researchers as Western and Central - but they had existed overall as a cohesive group.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

This week the band released the LP’s lead single, “Going Shopping”; it sounds kind of like the Steve Miller Band if Auto-Tune had existed in the mid-1970s.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Then there are three more funds listed as peers by FactSet that had existed for at least one year as of Dec.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026

In fact, it felt as if the name had existed all along, and she’d finally been clairvoyant enough to stumble across it.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas