all the while

American  

[awl thuh wahyl, hwahyl] / ˈɔl ðə ˈwaɪl, ˈʰwaɪl /

idiom

1. during this time; all along.

   She realized all the while that their plan would probably fail.

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Etymology

Origin of all the while

First recorded in 1350–1400

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

all the while

And all the while, Washington kept treating imports as a substitute for rebuilding domestic supply.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

To spur them on, Mary Kay offered only praise, never criticism, all the while dangling gifts and the opportunity for reinvention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

The idea is that readers can connect in a casual, welcoming environment, all the while increasing visibility for independent bookstores.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

Across two hours, Buckley’s Bride shoots, kicks, contorts, dances, scrapes, whizzes, licks and screams, all the while coming no closer to her true self than she was at the start of the film.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

“It’s genius simmering, perhaps. I’ll let it simmer, and see what comes of it,” he said, with a secret suspicion all the while that it wasn’t genius, but something far more common.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott