awhile
/əˈwʌɪl
/adverb
For a short time: stand here awhile...
- For many of us, New Year Day gives us time to pause awhile and think about our loved ones in a special way.
- If you really, really, like them, you might wait it out awhile to see if they outgrow this annoying phase.
- If the fight lasts awhile, which it figures to do, Ruiz will land some shots.
Synonyms
for a moment, for a while, for a short time, for a little while
informal for a bit
Usage
The single word awhile is an adverb meaning ‘for a short time’, and should not be confused with the noun use of a while, ‘a period of time’: stand here awhile, but we stood there for a while.
Origin
Old English āne hwīle '(for) a while'.