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View synonyms for meantime

meantime

[ meen-tahym ]

noun

  1. the intervening time: times:

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



adverb

meantime

/ ˈmiːnˌtaɪm /

noun

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


adverb

  1. another word for meanwhile
“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of meantime1

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; mean 3, time
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Compare Meanings

How does meantime compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

In the meantime, Gonzalez also said she was working on a financial analysis of what the bill would cost to implement but didn’t plan to pull the bill into the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which she chairs.

In the meantime, ViacomCBS has devised a way to track how often a given viewer is shown an ad across its two ad servers.

From Digiday

In the meantime, he is focusing on streaming and social media platforms like Twitch.

From Ozy

So, we said, “Look, for the meantime — and maybe for a while — the way to serve them will be fantasy sports.”

In the meantime, companies have to come up with other ways to track people around the web.

From Digiday

In the meantime, he should just accept that the holdup has nothing to do with his politics.

In the meantime, Epstein has tried to use his charitable projects to float him back to the top.

In the meantime, Democrats in the Senate need to find ways to take the right stands.

In the meantime, Grimm faces no legal pressure to leave office.

In the meantime, most of the detailed studies are incomplete in one way or another.

In the meantime, the outlaw, having observed how much more cordially the tyrant is received than himself, has made his exit.

Of course they would stop for the wedding; but meantime she must be very discreet; she must not intrude too much.

Meantime was it possible that by fondling she wanted to get anything out of Black Sheep?

When the engine gets on two lifts, I will write to you again, and in the meantime please to give me your thoughts on the engine.

In the meantime her father went over to the west side, presumably to call on Mrs. Pruitt.

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More About Meantime

What does meantime mean?

Meantime means the period of time between two events—between the current time and the time when something else happens.

This sense of the word is especially used in the phrase in the meantime, as in The power will come back on soon, so let’s just enjoy the quiet in the meantime. 

The word meanwhile can also be used as a noun to mean the same thing as meantime, but this is much less common.

Meanwhile is much more commonly used as an adverb meaning in or during the time between the current time and the time when something else happens, as in Our guests will arrive in about an hour—meanwhile, let’s get the food ready. Meanwhile can also mean at the same time, as in When I got to my apartment, I realized I had forgotten my key—meanwhile, everyone was already hiding inside for my surprise party. 

Meantime can also be used as an adverb in both of these ways, but it is much more commonly used as a noun.

Example: Our guests won’t arrive for another several hours, so I’m going to take a nap in the meantime.

Where does meantime come from?

The first records of meantime come from the 1300s. The mean in meantime is the sense of the word that means “occupying a middle position or an intermediate place.”

Meantime is often used in discussions that involve things happening or being done while waiting for something else to happen. It’s also commonly used in descriptions of events happening at the same time.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for meantime?

What are some words that share a root or word element with meantime

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing meantime?

How is meantime used in real life?

Meantime is a very common word that can be used in all kinds of contexts. It’s especially used in the phrase in the meantime. 

 

 

Try using meantime!

Is meantime used correctly in the following sentence? 

My younger sister just got engaged—meantime, I can’t even get a date!

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