until

[uhn-til]

conjunction

1. up to the time that or when; till.

   He read until his guests arrived.

2. before (usually used in negative constructions).

   They did not come until the meeting was half over.

preposition

1. onward to or till (a specified time or occurrence).

   She worked until 6 p.m.

2. before (usually used in negative constructions).

   He did not go until night.

3. Scot. and North England.,  to; unto.

until

/ ʌnˈtɪl /

conjunction

1. up to (a time) that

   he laughed until he cried

2. (used with a negative) before (a time or event)

   until you change, you can't go out

preposition

1. (often preceded by up) in or throughout the period before

   he waited until six

2. (used with a negative) earlier than; before

   he won't come until tomorrow

Usage

The use of until such time as (as in industrial action will continue until such time as our demands are met ) is unnecessary and should be avoided: industrial action will continue until our demands are met

Confusables Note

See till ¹.

Word History and Origins

Origin of until¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English untill, from un- (from Old Norse unz “up to, as far as”) + till till ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of until¹

C13 untill; related to Old High German unt unto, until, Old Norse und; see _till ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see put off until tomorrow; talk one's arm off (until blue in the face). Also see under till.

Example Sentences

"Until they return, they remain starved, tortured and in constant danger of death."

From BBC

More than 100 employees of the luxury department store are expected to claim up to £385,000 each via the redress scheme which is open until March 2026.

From BBC

He added: "Compensation awards and interim payments began being issued to eligible survivors at the end of April 2025 and the scheme will remain open until 31 March 2026."

From BBC

Will Labour be patient with Sir Keir until the general election?

From BBC

“Once you’ve played next to someone for a long time, you know what they want and what they’re going to do. Until then, it’s about over-communicating everything at the line so everybody’s on the same page.”

From Los Angeles Times