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while

[hwahyl, wahyl]

Example Sentences Origin

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.

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While is one of our favorite verbs.

So is absquatulate. Does it mean:

chat, to converse

to flee; abscond:

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preposition

Archaic. until.

verb (used with object)

to cause (time) to pass, especially in some easy or pleasant manner (usually followed by away).

Idioms

all the while, at or during this time; all along: She realized all the while that the cake would fall.

10.

worth one's while, worth one's time, trouble, or expense: The art exhibition that opened yesterday isn't worth your while.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English hwīl; cognate with Dutch wijl, German weile, Old Norse hvīla, Gothic hweila

Can be confused: while, wile.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To while

Example Sentences

When she visits friends in big houses, she notices how many rooms are vacant while people gather naturally in one room.

How do you avoid a financial crisis while traveling?

Not many people start a business while still in their 20s.

EXPAND

Collins

World English Dictionary

while (waɪl)

—*conj*
1.	(subordinating) at the same time that: please light the fire while I'm cooking
2.	(subordinating) all the time that: I stay inside while it's raining
3.	(subordinating) in spite of the fact that: while I agree about his brilliance I still think he's rude
4.	(coordinating) whereas; and in contrast: flats are expensive, while houses are cheap
5.	(subordinating; used with a gerund) during the activity of: while walking I often whistle

—*prep, —conj*
6.	dialect (Scot), (Northern English) 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

—n
7.	(usually used in adverbial phrases) a period or interval of time: once in a long while
8.	trouble or time (esp in the phrase worth one's while): it's hardly worth your while to begin work today
9.	the while at that time: he was working the while

usage 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 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

while

O.E. hwile, acc. of hwil "a space of time," from P.Gmc. *khwilo (cf. O.S. hwil, O.Fris. hwile, O.H.G. hwila, Ger. Weile, Goth. hveila "space of time, while"), originally "rest" (cf. O.N. hvila "bed," hvild "rest"), from PIE *qwi- "rest" (cf. Avestan shaitish "joy," O.Pers. iyatish "joy," L. quies "rest,

EXPAND

repose, quiet," O.C.S. po-koji "rest"). Notion of "period of rest" became in Gmc. "period of time." Now largely superseded by time except in formulaic constructions (e.g. all the while). M.E. sense of "time spent in doing something" now only preserved in worthwhile and phrases such as worth (one's) while. As a conjunction (late O.E.), it represents O.E. þa hwile þe; form whiles is recorded from c.1220; whilst is from c.1375, with excrescent -st as in amongst, amidst (see amid).

while

"to cause (time) to pass without dullness, 1635, earlier "to occupy or engage (someone or something) for a period of time" (1606), new formation from while (n.), not considered to be from M.E. hwulen "to have leisure," which is from a Gmc. verb form of while

(n.) (cf. Ger. weilen "to stay, linger"). An association with phrases such as Shakespearean beguile the day, L. diem decipere, Fr. tromper le temps "has led to the substitution of WILE v by some modern writers" [OED] (see wile).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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