while away
Britishverb
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.
Working his acoustic guitar with a French horn accompaniment — French horns! — he dares us to balance our relentless socioeconomic drive with our deep need to hang out, to while away the hours.
From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026
Any such changes in U.S. accounting rules would be a while away.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
Discussing the time frame, Herbert says the new version is "a while away".
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2025
The men, who have known each other since their earliest days in Los Angeles politics, now form a political odd couple while away from their families in California.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2024
On some vacant land nearby, he could while away long summer days by digging elaborate underground tunnels—cool, dark, subterranean retreats from Spokane’s sometimes searing dry heat.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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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.