awhile

American  

[uh-hwahyl, uh-wahyl] / əˈʰwaɪl, əˈwaɪl /

adverb

1. for a short time or period.

   Stay awhile.

---

awhile British  

/ əˈwaɪl /

adverb

1. for a brief period

---

Spelling

The adverb awhile is spelled as a single word: After stopping in Hadley awhile, we drove to Deerfield. As the object of a preposition, the noun phrase a while is used, especially in edited writing, but the single-word form is becoming increasingly common: We rested for a while (or awhile ).

Etymology

Origin of awhile

before 1000; Middle English; Old English āne hwīle (dative); see a ¹, while

Explanation

When you've been doing something awhile, you've been doing something for an indefinite amount of time: it could be a little while or a long while. This is a word that's hard to figure out without context. Awhile always applies to time, but the amount of time can be small or large. You could say you've been waiting awhile in line at the bank: that might mean 15 minutes. On the other hand, if you haven't heard from a friend in months, you could say, "Wow... It's been awhile!" Like a bit or a load, you can't measure awhile.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

awhile

Before abandoning legal ties to a country, one must first prove citizenship somewhere else — and that can take awhile.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

Don’t be surprised if the party lasts awhile longer.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

Chrissy Lawler saw her social life dry up awhile back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026

It feels like this game will be close for awhile, and Seattle will pull away just enough in the second half.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2026

I sat next to my giant saguaro awhile looking down at poor old Billy and Fred, endlessly hauling kids around the dirt trail.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling