until
Americanconjunction
-
up to the time that or when; till.
He read until his guests arrived.
-
before (usually used in negative constructions).
They did not come until the meeting was half over.
preposition
-
onward to or till (a specified time or occurrence).
She worked until 6 p.m.
-
before (usually used in negative constructions).
He did not go until night.
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Scot. and North England. to; unto.
conjunction
-
up to (a time) that
he laughed until he cried
-
(used with a negative) before (a time or event)
until you change, you can't go out
preposition
-
(often preceded by up) in or throughout the period before
he waited until six
-
(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
Commonly Confused
See till 1.
Etymology
Origin of until
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English untill, from un- (from Old Norse unz “up to, as far as”) + till till 1
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.
Under Mao Zedong, the communist revolutionary who founded the People’s Republic in 1949 and ruled China until his death in 1976, faith was classified as feudal superstition—in the party’s view, no better than fortunetelling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
The exhibitions featured at the Visa pour L'Image event are on display in venues around Perpignan until September 13.
From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026
Like anyone with a house whose value keeps rising he should know that such is meaningless until you sell that asset.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Berta used his strong relationship with Guimaraes' representatives to facilitate Arsenal's move, hence why Newcastle maintained they had had no direct contact from the London club until days before his move was completed.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
She said none of these changes happened until the exact time of day she was born.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
