while
Americannoun
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a period or interval of time.
to wait a long while;
He arrived a short while ago.
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Archaic. a particular time or occasion.
conjunction
-
during or in the time that.
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throughout the time that; as long as.
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even though; although.
While she appreciated the honor, she could not accept the position.
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at the same time that (showing an analogous or corresponding action).
The floor was strewn with books, while magazines covered the tables.
preposition
verb (used with object)
idioms
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worth one's while, worth one's time, trouble, or expense.
The art exhibition that opened yesterday isn't worth your while.
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all the while. see all the while.
conjunction
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(subordinating) at the same time that
please light the fire while I'm cooking
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(subordinating) all the time that
I stay inside while it's raining
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(subordinating) in spite of the fact that
while I agree about his brilliance I still think he's rude
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(coordinating) whereas; and in contrast
flats are expensive, while houses are cheap
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(subordinating; used with a gerund) during the activity of
while walking I often whistle
preposition
noun
-
(usually used in adverbial phrases) a period or interval of time
once in a long while
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trouble or time (esp in the phrase worth one's while )
it's hardly worth your while to begin work today
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at that time
he was working the while
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
Etymology
Origin of while
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hwīl; cognate with Dutch wijl, German weile, Old Norse hvīla, Gothic hweila
Explanation
While describes a length of time. If you were describing a first date, you might say, "We sat there for a while in an incredibly awkward silence." Use the word while to talk about an unspecific period of time, like when you ask your friend if you can borrow his notebook for a while. While is also a conjunction that describes things that happen at the same time, like crying while watching a very sad movie. The Old English root of while, hwil, is interesting because the w and the h are switched, but the meaning is the same: a space of time.
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.
See Examples For:
Side-eyeing the people responsible for the problem while dutifully stepping out of their way solves that tricky equation.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
Ralph Bogard, an actor and director from London, crossed the pond that first year—he’d purchased his ticket while waiting to go onstage during a play in Germany.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Van had insisted that his first victory wasn’t solely due to Pantoja’s injury, while the Brazilian argued that the December result didn’t show who was truly the better fighter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
It’s outperforming huge companies like Nvidia and Google on some metrics, while besting gold and the world’s dominant currencies on others.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Mom had first told me about our summer guest one night while I cleared the dinner table.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
It was a fully functioning ecosystem where contestants slept, ate, played, read and whiled away the hours, built in a stretch of empty field off a Greenville highway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 3, 2026
Taking a Greyhound bus back to Palo Alto, Lesh whiled away a few years rooming with Constanten and working at the post office as he composed classical music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2024
The family said their "quiet and uncomplaining" mother, severely disabled by her stroke, had whiled away her days in a general care unit, and the specialist support she needed had barely begun.
From BBC ● May 29, 2024
Many have been in the tech sector, which hired heavily during the pandemic, when people whiled away time stuck at home playing games online.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
Affable, placid Alicia whiled away her days in bed, playing with dolls in tents constructed from Mami’s sheets.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Since their arrival in Kinshasa, a megacity of more than 17 million people, the 15 South American migrants have been whiling away their time in a complex near the airport.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
There seemed to be something basic or banal about whiling away hours in the gym.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2025
Then he sold Google ads for a company called Linktech, whiling away his days cold-calling strangers who weren’t exactly happy to hear from him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025
Another photo is of me and my brother as kids, playing cards aboard a moving train, whiling away the time as we whiled away thousands of hours: together.
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2023
Moose blew the exam by whiling away his time instead of studying.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
