until
Americanconjunction
-
up to the time that or when; till.
He read until his guests arrived.
-
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.
Now we have to wait until next Saturday or Sunday, and hope that from here until then, he hasn’t been moved to a different facility, and we didn’t miss our chance to see him.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Rashford is contracted to Manchester United until 2028.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
That reader’s brother waited until he was 70, and life had other plans.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Users can make one reservation when they enter the park, but then must wait until they get to that attraction, or two hours have passed, to make the next one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
She plans to keep going until she can’t anymore, and that’s just what she does.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
