while

¹while

noun \ˈhwī(-ə)l, ˈwī(-ə)l\

Definition of WHILE

1

: a period of time especially when short and marked by the occurrence of an action or a condition : time <stay here for a while>

2

: the time and effort used (as in the performance of an action) : trouble <worth your while>

Examples of WHILE

1. It took them a while to find out what was causing the problem.
2. <we stayed at the fair for a while longer>

Origin of WHILE

Middle English, from Old English hwīl; akin to Old High German hwīla time, Latin quies rest, quiet

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to WHILE

Synonyms: bit, space, spell, stretch

Related Words: lapse; season, span; day, epoch, era; beat, eyeblink, flash, heartbeat, instant, jiff, jiffy, minute, moment, nanosecond, New York minute, second, shake, split second, spurt, trice, twinkle, twinkling, wink; aeon (or eon), age, eternity, infinity, perpetuity; interim, interlude, intermission, interval

Near Antonyms: adroitness, ease, facility, fluency, smoothness; dormancy, idleness, inaction, inactivity, indolence, inertia, languor, laziness, quiescence

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