meantime

[ meen-tahym ]

/ ˈminˌtaɪm /

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See synonyms for meantime on Thesaurus.com

noun

the intervening time: The party is Tuesday, but in the meantime I have to shop and prepare the food.

adverb

meanwhile.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of meantime

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at mean³, time

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use meantime in a sentence

Since the 1950s, fluoride has adapted itself to the prevailing concerns of the time.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
But give the Kingdom credit for its sense of mercy: The lashes will be administered only 50 at a time.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“I think for trans men who are dating every time they hook up they have another coming out,” Sandler said.
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As far as I can tell, this magazine spent as much time making fun of French politicians as it did of Muslims or Islam.
Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Thus, more time is spent organization and obtaining ones free of failings.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It ended on a complaint that she was 'tired rather and spending my time at full length on a deck-chair in the garden.'
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
The vision—it had been an instantaneous flash after all and nothing more—had left his mind completely for the time.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
About this time the famous Philippine painter, Juan Luna (vide p. 195), was released after six monthsʼ imprisonment as a suspect.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
I hate to be long at my toilette at any time; but to delay much in such a matter while travelling is folly.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
Now, it immediately occurred to Davy that he had never in his whole life had all the plums he wanted at any one time.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl

British Dictionary definitions for meantime (1 of 2)

meantime

/ (ˈmiːnˌtaɪm) /

noun

the intervening time or period, as between events (esp in the phrase in the meantime)

adverb

another word for meanwhile

British Dictionary definitions for meantime (2 of 2)

mean time

mean solar time

noun

the time, at a particular place, measured in terms of the passage of the mean sun; the timescale is not precisely constantSee mean solar day

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for meantime

mean time

Solar time as measured by the mean sun, resulting in equal 24-hour days throughout the year. If days were measured by the actual movement of the Sun, they would vary slightly in length at different times of the year due to differences in Earth's orbital speed and other factors. Mean time is the basis for standard clock time throughout most of the world. See more at solar time universal time.

meantime

Origin of meantime

Words related to meantime

How to use meantime in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for meantime (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for meantime (2 of 2)

mean solar time

Scientific definitions for meantime