meantime
Americannoun
adverb
noun
adverb
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of meantime
Compare meaning
How does meantime compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
South American countries in the meantime are ploughing ahead.
From Barron's
In the meantime, his friend truly did need help.
From Literature
In the meantime, the miller was piling the gold in little stacks and counting them.
From Literature
“In the meantime, the worry of mass unemployment mirroring America’s worst economic crises feels like a stretch.”
From Barron's
In the meantime, Wiatrowski said the agency has undertaken a number of initiatives to improve virtually everything it does.
From MarketWatch
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.
