while

[ hwahyl, wahyl ]

/ ʰwaɪl, waɪl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR while ON THESAURUS.COM

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).

Idioms for while

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH while

while , wile

Words nearby while

Whiggish, Whiggism, whigmaleerie, whigmaleery, Whig party, while, while away, while back, whiles, While there's life, there's hope, whilk

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for while

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 for while

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

Idioms and Phrases with while

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

单词	while
释义	while [ hwahyl, wahyl ] / ʰwaɪl, waɪl / SEE SYNONYMS FOR while ON THESAURUS.COM 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). Idioms for while 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 WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH while while , wile Words nearby while Whiggish, Whiggism, whigmaleerie, whigmaleery, Whig party, while, while away, while back, whiles, While there's life, there's hope, whilk Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 British Dictionary definitions for while 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 See also whiles Word Origin for while Old English hwīl; related to Old High German hwīla (German Weile), Gothic hveila, Latin quiēs peace, tranquīlus tranquil usage for while 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 Idioms and Phrases with while 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 The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Content related to while What’s The Difference Between “A While” And “Awhile”If it's been a while since you thought about a while and awhile, you can while away some time learning about the differences between the two. READ MORE Words related to while moment, period, bit, time, instant, space, stretch, spell, meantime, interim, occasion, although, during, at the same time, whilst, albeit, though, when, whereas, howbeit
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while

noun

conjunction

preposition

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

Idioms for while

Origin of while

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH while

Words nearby while

British Dictionary definitions for while

conjunction Also: whilst (waɪlst)

preposition, conjunction

noun

Word Origin for while

usage for while

Idioms and Phrases with while

Content related to while

Words related to while