Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The aid “could have oiled the Niger government to use its intelligence apparatus in negotiating their release,” Alkhouri said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 20, 2023
Lola and Luisa are at the karaoke machine singing “Dancing Queen” while Tadeo glides across the floor, his hips moving like they have oiled ball bearings.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
The stewards, casually hovering, lacked the democracy which might have humanized the steerage as much as the civility which would have oiled the workings of the first cabin.
From The Nest Builder by Beatrice Forbes-Robertson Hale
War seemed to have oiled all commercial wheels.
From The Soul of Susan Yellam by Horace Annesley Vachell
Whether or not the stepmother exercised the tact which would have oiled the machinery of things, one cannot know.
From Edgar Saltus: The Man by Marie Saltus
