While
Pronunciation
- IPA: /waɪl/
- without the wine-whine merger IPA: /Êaɪl/
- Rhymes: -aɪl
Origin
From Old English hwÄ«l, from Proto-Germanic *hwÄ«lÅ. Cognate with Low German wil, German Weile.
Full definition of while
Noun
while
(plural whiles)- An uncertain duration of time, a period of time.He lectured for quite a long while.
Conjunction
- During the same time that.He was sleeping while I was singing.
- 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients Chapter 12, While the powwow was going on the big woman came back again. She was consider'ble rumpled and scratched up, but there was fire in her eye.
- 1948, Carey McWilliams (journalist), North from Mexico
The Spanish-Speaking People of The United States, J. B. Lippincott Company, page 25,While De Anza was exploring the Bay of San Francisco, seeking a site for the presidio, the American colonists on the eastern seaboard, three thousand miles away, were celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. - 2013-06-07, David Simpson, Fantasy of navigation, Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.
- Although.This case, while interesting, is a bit frustrating.
- 2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, "London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times
- While Britain’s recession has been deep and unforgiving, in London it has been relatively shallow.
- (Northern England, Scotland) Until.I'll wait while you've finished painting.
- Beaumont and FletcherI may be conveyed into your chamber; I'll lie under your bed while midnight.
- As long as.While you're at school you may live at home.
- I. WattsUse your memory; you will sensibly experience a gradual improvement, while you take care not to overload it.