until
Americanconjunction
-
up to the time that or when; till.
He read until his guests arrived.
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before (usually used in negative constructions).
They did not come until the meeting was half over.
preposition
-
onward to or till (a specified time or occurrence).
She worked until 6 p.m.
-
before (usually used in negative constructions).
He did not go until night.
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Scot. and North England. to; unto.
conjunction
-
up to (a time) that
he laughed until he cried
-
(used with a negative) before (a time or event)
until you change, you can't go out
preposition
-
(often preceded by up) in or throughout the period before
he waited until six
-
(used with a negative) earlier than; before
he won't come until tomorrow
Usage
The use of until such time as (as in industrial action will continue until such time as our demands are met ) is unnecessary and should be avoided: industrial action will continue until our demands are met
Commonly Confused
See till 1.
Etymology
Origin of until
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English untill, from un- (from Old Norse unz “up to, as far as”) + till till 1
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.
Until the IPO, which is expected on June 12, the only people who can buy SpaceX shares directly are large financial players such as banks and pension funds, or very wealthy individuals.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
"Until now, we could generate or detect these signals, but not do everything in one integrated device," Dr. Li said.
From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026
Until now, there has been little large-scale research on the impact of student AI use in schools.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Until then, they’ve guaranteed him plenty of cash.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
Until today, I didn’t know that a whole class of “whatnots” could be entirely human.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
