all the while
Americanidiom
Etymology
Origin of all the while
First recorded in 1350–1400
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.
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
He studied classical piano for the next few years, his ears being drawn to pop music all the while.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
He turned into a sneering moral philosopher, all the while keeping his feet up.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
And all the while, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains utterly bleak.
From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026
An arm hooks around my neck, and Darrell almost topples me over, cackling all the while.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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.
