meantime

1 of 3

noun (1)

mean·​time ˈmēn-ˌtīm 

: the time before something happens or before a specified period ends

The new computers won't arrive until next week, but we can continue to use the old ones in the meantime.

meantime

2 of 3

adverb

: meanwhile entry 2

meantime he had been attentive to his other interests

—H. R. Warfel

mean time

3 of 3

noun (2)

: time that is based on the motion of the theoretical mean sun

To find local mean time, determine how many degrees of longitude you are from your time-zone standard. (Find your longitude on a map.) Multiply this number by four to get your correction in minutes. If you are east of the standard longitude your correction is a positive number; if you are west it is negative. Apply the correction to standard time to get your local mean time.

—Sky & Telescope

called also mean solar time

Examples of meantime in a Sentence

Adverb

He can come back to work when he's feeling better. Meantime, he should be resting as much as possible.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

So what do the voices of HUNTR/X intend to do in the meantime? —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025

Here's where things stand in the meantime. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 5 Sep. 2025

Adverb

McDonald, meantime, can be an absolute house on wheels. —Dane Brugler, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025

Pro-Trump influencers, meantime, have egged Carr on. —Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025

Noun

State health officials will add flu data to its respiratory virus dashboard during the fall flu season, and in the mean time the agency recommends everyone over 6 months of age should stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations to protect against severe illness and current variants. —Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 12 Sep. 2025

Before implementing new incident response capabilities, establish baseline measurements for key performance indicators: mean time to detection, containment effectiveness, operational impact duration and recovery completeness. —Dan Sorensen, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

circa 1593, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1751, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing meantime

• for the meantime
• in the meantime

Rhymes for meantime

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• nighttime
• noontime

Kids Definition

meantime

1 of 2 noun

mean·​time ˈmēn-ˌtīm 

: the time between two events

meantime

2 of 2 adverb

: in the meantime