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

1. meanwhile.

meantime

/ ˈmiːnˌtaɪm /

noun

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

adverb

1. another word for meanwhile

Word History and Origins

Origin of meantime¹

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

Example Sentences

But it took a lot longer than they had expected, and meantime the bills came due and valuations became unsustainable.

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This will likely come in 2026, but in the meantime, shares are likely to remain subdued, the bank says.

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This may sound like temporary inconveniences, since Congress will eventually approve back pay, but consider the economic disruption in the meantime from missed mortgage payments, damaged credit scores, and canceled travel.

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In the meantime, make sure you have at least a six-month emergency fund to prevent yourself from going into debt again.

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In the meantime, the Eagles’ scoring has been boosted by some surprising contributions.

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Related Words

• interim 

When To Use

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.