awhile

[ uh-hwahyl, uh-wahyl ]

adverb

1. for a short time or period:

   Stay awhile.

awhile

/ əˈwaɪl /

adverb

1. for a brief period

Spelling Note

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 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of awhile¹

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

Example Sentences

The retargeting ads can feature new offers or content to bring users back who may not have used the app for awhile, have products in their cart, are likely to make in-app purchases, promote an event or sale, or installed but haven’t used the app yet.

From Search Engine Land

So, it was another small business investment funded him, he was going out of the back of his truck for awhile, and this was his first-ever store.

From Freakonomics

It wasn’t like I left Avalon and just started living my best life, it definitely took awhile to repair the hurt that happened from those several years when Avalon was ending and all the things I went through at that point.

From Washington Blade

It may be awhile before gyms in India can see pre-pandemic crowds.

From Quartz

Second, it’s the one where the WB demanded the show play to the network’s target demographic and give them some scantily clad teens, so Rory and Jess run through some sprinklers, get soaking wet, and stare at each other awhile.

From Vox

Perhaps, once in awhile, scarcity will breed rational thinking, too.

From The Daily Beast

It made the rounds online awhile back that George Lucas had approached you to direct Return of the Jedi.

From The Daily Beast

FoxFaith, established in 2006 by Twentieth Century-Fox, flew under the radar for awhile, and died a quick death.

From The Daily Beast

[Laughs] I get that speech in fairly polite terms from 20th Century Fox once in awhile.

From The Daily Beast

From the beginning, Guy had the better of the fight, unhorsing Herman and toying with him for awhile.

From The Daily Beast

When they rose from table and went back into her little drawing-room, she left her daughter alone for awhile with Bernard.

From Project Gutenberg

The secretary trembled in his every limb; his eyes shunned his master's as his master's had shunned Garnache's awhile ago.

From Project Gutenberg

The cloud of these coming enemy reinforcements has cast its shadow over us for awhile and now the sun shines again.

From Project Gutenberg

When it was all over Alila was not too tired to play for awhile with a few locusts he had caught in a net.

From Project Gutenberg

By noon they had reached Voiron, and here, at a quiet hostelry, they descended to pause awhile for rest and refreshment.

From Project Gutenberg