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View synonyms for while

while

[ wahyl, hwahyl ]

noun

  1. a period or interval of time:

    to wait a long while;

    He arrived a short while ago.

  2. Archaic. a particular time or occasion.


conjunction

  1. during or in the time that.
  2. throughout the time that; as long as.
  3. even though; although:

    While she appreciated the honor, she could not accept the position.

  4. at the same time that (showing an analogous or corresponding action):

    The floor was strewn with books, while magazines covered the tables.

preposition

  1. Archaic. until.

verb (used with object)

, whiled, whil·ing.
  1. to cause (time) to pass, especially in some easy or pleasant manner (usually followed by away ).

while

/ waɪl /

conjunction

  1. subordinating at the same time that

    please light the fire while I'm cooking

  2. subordinating all the time that

    I stay inside while it's raining

  3. subordinating in spite of the fact that

    while I agree about his brilliance I still think he's rude

  4. coordinating whereas; and in contrast

    flats are expensive, while houses are cheap

  5. subordinating; used with a gerund during the activity of

    while walking I often whistle

“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


preposition

  1. dialect.
    another word for until

    you'll never make any progress while you listen to me

    you'll have to wait while Monday for these sheets

“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

noun

  1. usually used in adverbial phrases a period or interval of time

    once in a long while

  2. trouble or time (esp in the phrase worth one's while )

    it's hardly worth your while to begin work today

  3. the while
    at that time

    he was working the while

“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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Usage

It was formerly considered incorrect to use while to mean in spite of the fact that or whereas , but these uses have now become acceptable
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Word History and Origins

Origin of while1

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hwīl; cognate with Dutch wijl, German weile, Old Norse hvīla, Gothic hweila
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Word History and Origins

Origin of while1

Old English hwīl; related to Old High German hwīla (German Weile ), Gothic hveila, Latin quiēs peace, tranquīlus tranquil
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. worth one's while, worth one's time, trouble, or expense:

    The art exhibition that opened yesterday isn't worth your while.

  2. all the while. all the while ( def ).

More idioms and phrases containing while

  • all the time (while)
  • a while back
  • every now and then (once in a while)
  • fiddle while Rome burns
  • get out while the getting is good
  • in a while
  • make hay while the sun shines
  • once in a while
  • quit while you're ahead
  • strike while the iron's hot
  • worth one's while
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Example Sentences

Panda-Patrice hybrid plays board games with five young girls whilst rapping “Get me broccoli/While I play Monopoly.”

I fervently believe that the government should cut down on texting-while-driving if it possibly can.

At first borrowing from an online lender was just a once-in-a-while habit that started in early 2009.

With the more abundant material now available, such an appraisal would be worth-while.

The youthful pair start beneath the smile of a blue sky, flecked with milk-while clouds merely to heighten the effect.

She seemed one of the most worth‑while girls I had ever met.

Why, on the campus now, the really worth-while girls rave over her.

“It is as though the bearer had run for a paternoster-while, and then leaped the river,” Dick observed.

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Related Words

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.

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Whig partywhile away