Definitions for while
ʰwaɪl, waɪlwhile

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

1. while, piece, spell, patch(noun)

   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. while(Noun)

   A certain duration of time, a period of time.

   He lectured for quite a long while.

   Etymology: hwil. Cognate with wil.

2. while(Verb)

   To pass (time) idly.

   Etymology: hwil. Cognate with wil.

3. while(Conjunction)

   During the same time that.

   He was sleeping while I was singing.

   Etymology: hwil. Cognate with wil.

4. while(Conjunction)

   although

   This case, while interesting, is a bit frustrating.

   Etymology: hwil. Cognate with wil.

5. while(Conjunction)

   until

   Etymology: hwil. Cognate with wil.

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

1. While(noun)

   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. While(noun)

   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. While(verb)

   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. While(verb)

   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  

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. Joe Hayes:

   The likelihood of the negative trend in output being stymied any time soon appears slim, with demand for goods from both domestic and international sources waning further, asian goods producers face headwinds from slowing growth in Europe and China, while global trade risks are yet to be mitigated by a breakthrough in US-Sino relations.

2. Paul Blackman:

   I have been in law enforcement all of my adult life, and this horrific incident shocks and angers me more than anything I have encountered in my career, while we still don't know what drove the suspect to commit this heinous act, there is no excuse that can justify the cold-blooded murder of multiple victims.

3. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker:

   I believe Bill Barr when he says the President tweeting about cases is not helpful for him running the Department of Justice and administering justice, i was lucky that I didn't have the President tweeting about cases, except for the Mueller investigation while I was acting attorney general.

4. Carly Fiorina:

   It's still different for women, it's only a woman whose appearance would be talked about while running for president -- never a man. And that's what women understand.

5. Rule of Life:

   It is certain that either wise bearing or ignorant carriage is caught, as men take diseases, one from another; therefore, let all take heed as to the society in which they mingle, for in a little while they will be like it.

Images & Illustrations of while

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