while

[ hwahyl, wahyl ]

/ ʰwaɪl, waɪl /

noun

a period or interval of time: to wait a long while; He arrived a short while ago.

Archaic. a particular time or occasion.

conjunction

during or in the time that.

throughout the time that; as long as.

even though; although: While she appreciated the honor, she could not accept the position.

at the same time that (showing an analogous or corresponding action): The floor was strewn with books, while magazines covered the tables.

preposition

Archaic. until.

verb (used with object), whiled, whil·ing.

to cause (time) to pass, especially in some easy or pleasant manner (usually followed by away).

Nearby words

whiggish, whiggishly, whiggism, whigmaleerie, whigmaleery, while, while away, while back, while there's life there's hope, while there's life, there's hope, whiles

Idioms

all the while, at or during this time; all along: She realized all the while that the cake would fall.

worth one's while, worth one's time, trouble, or expense: The art exhibition that opened yesterday isn't worth your while.

Origin of while

before 900; Middle English; Old English hwīl; cognate with Dutch wijl, German weile, Old Norse hvīla, Gothic hweila

Can be confusedwhile wile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for whiling

They end up in Wyoming, whiling away their time there by falling for each other all over again.
Sarah Jessica Parker on Surrogacy and Cursing|Kevin Sessums|December 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The Sieur was whiling away the heavy hours of uncertainty by teaching several Indian girls, and Rose found this quite a pleasure.
A Little Girl in Old Quebec|Amanda Millie Douglas
They went back to their rooms, joining Hungerford and Regan, who were whiling away the time playing piquet.
Stover at Yale|Owen Johnson
For nine days he came, sitting by the bedside and whiling away many a weary hour for the sufferer, until the tenth morning.
Twelve Men|Theodore Dreiser

But the very thought of whiling away the time in this manner was distasteful to him.
The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices|Charles Dickens
But women have a thousand pretty little devices for whiling away the heavy hours.
The Girl of the Period and Other Social Essays, Vol. II (of 2)|Eliza Lynn Linton

British Dictionary definitions for whiling

while

/ (waɪl) /

conjunction Also: whilst (waɪlst)

(subordinating) at the same time thatplease light the fire while I'm cooking

(subordinating) all the time thatI stay inside while it's raining

(subordinating) in spite of the fact thatwhile I agree about his brilliance I still think he's rude

(coordinating) whereas; and in contrastflats are expensive, while houses are cheap

(subordinating; used with a gerund) during the activity ofwhile walking I often whistle

preposition, conjunction

Scot and Northern English dialect another word for until you'll have to wait while Monday for these sheets; you'll never make any progress while you listen to me

noun

(usually used in adverbial phrases) a period or interval of timeonce in a long while

trouble or time (esp in the phrase worth one's while)it's hardly worth your while to begin work today

the while at that timehe was working the while

Word Origin for while

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

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

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

Word Origin and History for whiling (1 of 2)

while

"to cause (time) to pass without dullness, 1630s, earlier "to occupy or engage (someone or something) for a period of time" (c.1600), new formation from while (n.), not considered to be from Middle English hwulen "to have leisure," which is from a Germanic verb form of while (n.) (cf. German weilen "to stay, linger"). An association with phrases such as Shakespearean beguile the day, Latin diem decipere, French tromper le temps "has led to the substitution of WILE v by some modern writers" [OED] (see wile).

Word Origin and History for whiling (1 of 2)

while

Old English hwile, accusative of hwil "a space of time," from Proto-Germanic *khwilo (cf. Old Saxon hwil, Old Frisian hwile, Old High German hwila, German Weile, Gothic hveila "space of time, while"), originally "rest" (cf. Old Norse hvila "bed," hvild "rest"), from PIE *qwi- "rest" (cf. Avestan shaitish "joy," Old Persian šiyatish "joy," Latin quies "rest, repose, quiet," Old Church Slavonic po-koji "rest"). Notion of "period of rest" became in Germanic "period of time."

Now largely superseded by time except in formulaic constructions (e.g. all the while). Middle English sense of "time spent in doing something" now only preserved in worthwhile and phrases such as worth (one's) while. As a conjunction (late Old English), it represents Old English þa hwile þe; form whiles is recorded from early 13c.; whilst is from late 14c., with excrescent -st as in amongst, amidst (see amid).

Idioms and Phrases with whiling

while

In addition to the idioms beginning with while

while away
while back
while there's life there's hope

also see:

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

while

noun

conjunction

preposition

verb (used with object), whiled, whil·ing.

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of while

Examples from the Web for whiling

British Dictionary definitions for whiling

while

conjunction Also: whilst (waɪlst)

preposition, conjunction

noun

Word Origin for while

usage

Word Origin and History for whiling (1 of 2)

while

Word Origin and History for whiling (1 of 2)

while

Idioms and Phrases with whiling

while