Dictionary.com

whilst

[ hwahylst, wahylst ]
/ ʰwaɪlst, waɪlst /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR whilst

conjunction

Chiefly British. while.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of whilst

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English whilest, equivalent to whiles + excrescent -t as in amongst, amidst

Words nearby whilst

whiles, While there's life, there's hope, whilk, whillikers, whilom, whilst, whim, whimbrel, whimper, whimsey, whimsical
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to whilst

although, during, at the same time

Example sentences from the Web for whilst

British Dictionary definitions for whilst

whilst
/ (waɪlst) /

conjunction

mainly British another word for while (def. 1), while (def. 2), while (def. 3), while (def. 4), while (def. 5)

Word Origin for whilst

C13: from whiles + -t as in amidst
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