indefinitely
Britishadverb
Explanation
Use the adverb indefinitely to describe something that happens for an unlimited amount of time or to an unlimited extent. Kittens could bat around a ball of string indefinitely. When your cousin postpones her wedding indefinitely after her fiancé’s “business trip” to Las Vegas, you probably want to hold off on buying a gift. They may work things out, but sometimes people intend indefinitely to be synonymous with forever. Like, “We can’t keep fighting over that weekend I spent in Las Vegas indefinitely…”
Vocabulary lists containing indefinitely
Holes
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"Curtis Aikens and the American Dream" and "Go For It!"
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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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.
"Given the ongoing political and economic uncertainty with respect to Cuba, Air Canada is indefinitely suspending service to the island," the Montreal-based company said in a statement.
From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026
Or, more specifically, dried buttermilk: tangy, savory, rich with dairy flavor, yet shelf-stable enough to live indefinitely in the back of a pantry waiting for its moment to shine.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
The city council later banned data centers indefinitely, the first in California to do so, said Mayor Elizabeth Yang.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
Washington is now seeking to modify the agreement to allow for American troops to stay in Greenland indefinitely, beyond potential Greenlandic independence from Denmark, according to the officials.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
In the past eighteen months, my mets have hardly grown, leaving me with lungs that suck at being lungs but could, conceivably, struggle along indefinitely with the assistance of drizzled oxygen and daily Phalanxifor.
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
