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
He added, “This is a little while away from becoming commonplace.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 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
“Patients in traditional forms of psychotherapy while away their fifty minutes reliving childhood conflicts and learning to blame their unhappiness on how their parents treated them,” Pinker wrote.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
