Definitions for While
ʰwaɪl, waɪlWhile

Princeton's WordNet(3.00 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. while, piece, spell, patchnoun

   a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition

   "he was here for a little while"; "I need to rest for a piece"; "a spell of good weather"; "a patch of bad weather"

Wiktionary(4.43 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. whilenoun

   A certain duration of time, a period of time.

   He lectured for quite a long while.

   Etymology: hwil. Cognate with wil.

2. whileverb

   To pass (time) idly.

   Etymology: hwil. Cognate with wil.

3. whileconjunction

   During the same time that.

   He was sleeping while I was singing.

   Etymology: hwil. Cognate with wil.

4. whileconjunction

   although

   This case, while interesting, is a bit frustrating.

   Etymology: hwil. Cognate with wil.

5. whileconjunction

   until

   Etymology: hwil. Cognate with wil.

Webster Dictionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Whilenoun

   space of time, or continued duration, esp. when short; a time; as, one while we thought him innocent

   Etymology: [AS. hwl; akin to OS. hwl, hwla, OFries. hwle, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wla, hwla, hwl, Icel. hvla a bed, hvld rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. the proper time of season. 20. Cf. Quiet, Whilom.]

2. Whilenoun

   that which requires time; labor; pains

   Etymology: [AS. hwl; akin to OS. hwl, hwla, OFries. hwle, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wla, hwla, hwl, Icel. hvla a bed, hvld rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. the proper time of season. 20. Cf. Quiet, Whilom.]

3. Whileverb

   to cause to pass away pleasantly or without irksomeness or disgust; to spend or pass; -- usually followed by away

   Etymology: [AS. hwl; akin to OS. hwl, hwla, OFries. hwle, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wla, hwla, hwl, Icel. hvla a bed, hvld rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. the proper time of season. 20. Cf. Quiet, Whilom.]

4. Whileverb

   to loiter

   Etymology: [AS. hwl; akin to OS. hwl, hwla, OFries. hwle, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wla, hwla, hwl, Icel. hvla a bed, hvld rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. the proper time of season. 20. Cf. Quiet, Whilom.]

5. While

   during the time that; as long as; whilst; at the same time that; as, while I write, you sleep

   Etymology: [AS. hwl; akin to OS. hwl, hwla, OFries. hwle, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wla, hwla, hwl, Icel. hvla a bed, hvld rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. the proper time of season. 20. Cf. Quiet, Whilom.]

6. While

   hence, under which circumstances; in which case; though; whereas

   Etymology: [AS. hwl; akin to OS. hwl, hwla, OFries. hwle, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wla, hwla, hwl, Icel. hvla a bed, hvld rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. the proper time of season. 20. Cf. Quiet, Whilom.]

7. While

   until; till

   Etymology: [AS. hwl; akin to OS. hwl, hwla, OFries. hwle, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wla, hwla, hwl, Icel. hvla a bed, hvld rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. the proper time of season. 20. Cf. Quiet, Whilom.]

Freebase(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. While

   "While" is a word in the English language that functions both as a noun and as a subordinating conjunction. Its meaning varies largely based on its intended function, position in the phrase and even the writer or speaker's regional dialect. As a conjunction, it is synonymous with the word "whilst", a form often considered archaic in American and Canadian English, as well as in some style guides on both sides of the Atlantic.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. While

   hwīl, n. a space of time: trouble spent.—adv. during the time that: at the same time that, as long as.—v.t. to cause to pass without irksomeness (with away).—conjs. While, Whilst, as long as: at the same time that: (Shak.) until; Whiles (B.), while, at the same time that.—adv. (Scot.) at times (orig. gen. of A.S. hwíl).—advs. Whī′lom, Whī′lome (Milt.), formerly, once (orig. dat. pl. of A.S. hwíl, time).—Every once in a while, now and then; The while (Shak.), in the meantime; The whilst (Shak.), while: in the meantime; Worth while, worth the trouble and time taken. [A.S. hwíl; Goth. hweila, Ger. weile.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. while

   A period of known time.

   While at the shop we saw some new cheese we thought we'd try.

   Submitted by MaryC on March 19, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Time

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'While' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #149

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'While' in Written Corpus Frequency: #554

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'While' in Nouns Frequency: #744

How to pronounce While?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say While in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of While in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of While in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of While in a Sentence

1. Cara Charles-Barks:

   We are working with the police to understand the circumstances surrounding this incident and it would be inappropriate to make further comment at this time, while we establish how they became unwell.

2. Jeff Tjornehoj:

   While we’re very unlikely to see the US$20bn-plus outflows of the previous few years, these funds will continue to struggle with redemptions this year.

3. The IAAF:

   I contacted them earlier this year about the case of some Russian walkers that were competing while they were banned. . Tallent wants drug cheats named and shamed, worrying that if they go unpunished, clean competitors could unfairly be tarred with the same brush.

4. Mike Shirkey:

   We will prepare to comply with this most recent ruling while we await the outcome of the appeal.

5. RVM:

   A woman was counting her grams of gold in Sorrow while another, who had nothing, still counted her Blessings in Joy. Happiness is not what you HAVE, but how you FEEL.

Images & Illustrations of While

Popularity rank by frequency of use