How to Use while in a Sentence

while

1 of 2 noun

• It took them a while to find out what was causing the problem.
• But in this case, the signs have been clear for a while.
  — James E. Causey, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2023
• This cold front will take a while to move out of the area.
  — OregonLive.com, 23 Jan. 2018
• The case is likely to remain in the courts for a while.
  — Lois K. Solomon, sun-sentinel.com, 24 Aug. 2020
• But the surgery worked, and for a while, Jones was in the clear.
  — Devi Shastri, Journal Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2022
• All the while, trucks and cars pass by on the busy highway.
  — Jan Hefler, Philly.com, 6 Apr. 2018
• For a while there, the clueless hordes had their spokesman.
  — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, 26 June 2020
• Sometimes the toddler would pound on the door for a while.
  — Denise Davidson Writer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2021
• The [tourney] matchups have not been great for a while.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 7 Nov. 2019
• But, yeah, all of these ideas have been around for a while.
  — Quartz Staff, Quartz, 3 Nov. 2022
• The bad news: These changes might be here to stay for a while.
  — Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Mar. 2020
• For a short while, the office was big enough for them both.
  — Matt Flegenheimer, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2019
• The new record could end up standing for a while, though.
  — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 2 Jan. 2024
• The tree has looked a bit worse-for-wear for a while but is still alive.
  — Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 13 Oct. 2022
• Some songs come fast, but for me, most of them take a while.
  — Scott McDonald, Pacific San Diego Magazine, 7 June 2017
• This is your first choreographed dance video in a while.
  — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, 17 Apr. 2019
• Hey, here’s something that could fill the stage for a while.
  — Chronicle Staff Report, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 May 2018
• Wrap the fabric around your head, and walk around like this for a while.
  — Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 19 Sep. 2022
• Crank up the tunes and forget about being sick for a while.
  — Nathalie Kirby, House Beautiful, 2 Apr. 2020
• It’s been kind of knocking around for a while as an idea.
  — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2023
• Of course, devices like these have been around for a while.
  — Medea Giordano, Wired, 10 Jan. 2021
• Adam said the rodent was scared now and won't show his face for a while.
  — Byron McCauley, Cincinnati.com, 24 Apr. 2020
• Craig has been thinking about how to use sheep like this for a while.
  — Izzy Ross, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2023
• She had been held alive for a while before she was killed.
  — Cathy Locke, sacbee, 25 Oct. 2017
• For those who leave us for a while have only gone away.
  — Hartford Courant, courant.com, 22 Apr. 2018
• Throw a dude a bone every once in a while, for crissakes.
  — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Nov. 2022
• But it's been a while since our last freeze, so feel free to prune now.
  — Dan Gill, NOLA.com, 22 Dec. 2020
• For a while, those were the only two swings that looked good at all. ...
  — Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 25 Aug. 2021
• But Wednesday’s rate hike could be the last for a while.
  — Justin Lahart, wsj.com, 3 May 2023
• We’ve been kept away from each other for quite a while.
  — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 2 June 2022

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while

2 of 2 verb

• Bermondsey is simply buzzing with trendy bars to while away the hours in.
  — Tom Marchant, Harper's BAZAAR, 7 Dec. 2017
• Veterans can while away days on the golf course next door.
  — Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2018
• Here’s just a sampling of ways to while away the time, now and when the weather warms this spring.
  — Angela Hill, The Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2017
• Once settled, you will be tempted to while away the time on your dock, soaking in the scene.
  — Orange County Register, 25 Jan. 2017
• Next, move to dense cover where rabbits retreat to while away the midday hours.
  — T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, 3 Feb. 2020
• What are the farmers up to while the rest of us ski, drink cocoa, read books and complain about the weather?
  — Anna Thomas Bates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2020
• Few who are well versed in tarot would mistake a serious deck as a fun way to while away the afternoon.
  — Jane Stern, Town & Country, 24 Sep. 2018
• It’s one of the most beautiful places in Napa to while away an afternoon.
  — Kim Westerman, Forbes, 1 Sep. 2021
• These were not the places in which the Detroit Tigers expected to while away their April hours.
  — Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, 23 Apr. 2020
• Besides the many outdoor venues in which to while away the day, design shops also serve as popular social hubs.
  — Beth Lapides, ELLE Decor, 29 Nov. 2011
• The amateur who merely wants to while away long hours can easily feel inadequate to the task.
  — The Economist, 22 Apr. 2020
• In one viral photo, one person stands at the gas pump filling a red gas can while another tends to more cans in the back of a white vehicle.
  — Rick Rouan, USA TODAY, 12 May 2021
• Many leisure travelers use laptops and tablets to while away the hours watching movies or playing games, or to keep their kids entertained.
  — Joyce M. Rosenberg, The Seattle Times, 17 May 2017
• Its raison d'etre was bon vivance; good food and good times, a place to while away lazy summer days, eat heartily and drink well.
  — Lianne Turner and Thomas Page, CNN, 14 June 2017
• The adjoining no-frills, outdoor Shipwreck Bar is a place to while the rest of the afternoon away.
  — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 3 July 2019
• The couple, who became engaged last month, were seen getting emotional during a bike ride and while out at a restaurant.
  — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, 7 Aug. 2018
• Some have taken to baking to while away the hours during lockdown; others embraced gardening.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2020
• Ignoring his mom’s wishes, Ash elects to while away a day in Denska, a young ghost town.
  — Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2019
• What’s overlooked is Netflix’s extreme competence at making it easy to buy and while away a lazy afternoon.
  — Shira Ovide, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2020
• In March, Sánchez was furloughed from Made Nice and began to while away quarantine by drafting a dream menu.
  — Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2020
• While well off a nadir reached in December, the increase in North Korean tensions over the past two months has weighed on the currency.
  — Bloomberg.com, 10 May 2017
• Other safety tips while away include buying a timer for lights and setting them to turn off and on at random, or asking neighbors or friends to occasionally park in the driveway.
  — Alex Riggins, sandiegouniontribune.com, 5 July 2018
• Plenty of relaxed shoreline trails draw hikers and cyclists here, while picturesque picnic areas and pebbly beaches make great places to while away an afternoon.
  — Daniel Otis, Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018
• While two additional units are being planned for Shin Kori, their future is in doubt following the election.
  — Stephen Stapczynski, Bloomberg.com, 15 May 2017
• Floating along the lazy Russian River in an inner tube accessorized with an inflatable pink flamingo cooler is a perfect way to while away the summer.
  — Catherine Bigelow, SFChronicle.com, 10 July 2018
• The restaurant, Trade Route, offers its own take on traditional southern cuisine, and the spa provides a refreshing way to while away an hour or two.
  — Patti Nickell, chicagotribune.com, 24 Sep. 2019
• At age 59, most rock stars would be happy to while away the time between tours luxuriating on a tropical island as the royalty checks roll in.
  — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 23 Dec. 2017
• Another name Schmitz mentioned was Maryland's Kevin Huerter, who while known as a shooter, can play some point guard.
  — Andrew Hussey, Indianapolis Star, 18 June 2018
• The city exists within a single building; there are single rooms with no locks, each with a bed, a dresser, and — if the resident’s family provides one — a television set with which to while away the hours.
  — Leslie Kendall Dye, Longreads, 23 June 2018
• And resist the temptation to while away the time between flashes by looking at your phone—the bright screen will compromise your night vision for another 20 minutes.
  — Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 2 Jan. 2020

Last Updated: 25 Apr 2024