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awhile

 - 3 dictionary results

a⋅while

  [uh-hwahyl, uh-wahyl]
Use awhile in a Sentence
–adverb
for a short time or period: Stay awhile.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE āne hwīle (dat.); see a 1 , while

Usage note:
The adverb awhile is spelled as a single word: After stopping in Hadley awhile, we drove to Deerfield. As the object of a preposition, the noun phrase a while is used, especially in edited writing, but the single-word form is becoming increasingly common: We rested for a while (or awhile).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To awhile
a·while   (ə-hwīl', ə-wīl')   
adv.  For a short time.
Usage Note: Awhile, an adverb, is never preceded by a preposition such as for, but the two-word form a while may be preceded by a preposition. In writing, each of the following is acceptable: stay awhile; stay for a while; stay a while (but not stay for awhile).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

awhile 
O.E. ane hwile "(for) a while," usually written together since 13c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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