while

verb

whiled; whiling

transitive verb

: to cause to pass especially without boredom or in a pleasant manner

—usually used with away

while away the time

Examples of while in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There's plenty of luxury to go around, as backseat passengers can while away the miles with a massage. —Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 17 June 2022

The activity is in the Art Lab, which is brimming with other projects that will while away the time. —Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing while

• after a while
• a (good) long while
• all the while
• every once in a while
• make it worth your while
• once in a while
• quite a while
• strike while the iron is hot
• while away
• while (one's) at it
• while the going is good
• worth someone's while

Rhymes for while

• aisle
• bile
• chyle
• file
• guile
• heil
• isle
• kyle
• mile
• pile
• rile
• smile

Kids Definition

while

1 of 3 noun

ˈhwī(ə)l 

ˈwī(ə)l

1

: a period of time

stay here for a while

2

: time and effort used

worth your while

while

2 of 3 conjunction

1

a

: during the time that

take a nap while I'm out

b

: as long as

enjoy life while we can

2

: in spite of the fact that : although

while respected, the mayor is not liked

while

3 of 3 verb

whiled; whiling

: to cause to pass pleasantly or without boredom

while away the time