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

During my tenure in the Senate, the nuclear waste debate was front and center—dominated by Yucca Mountain and whether to proceed with construction and licensing, how to do so safely, and what to do in the meantime. —Bill Frist, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

The developers of Photo Variants eventually intend to offer a premium version of the app with AI features, such as auto-masking and background removal, but this free version needs work in the meantime. —PC Magazine, 14 May 2025

Adverb

Swinson, meantime, could be a real steal if New England can bring out the best version of him. —Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 29 May 2025

Klum, meantime, stayed well into the wee hours on Sunday, unsurprisingly outlasting dad, Seal. —Tim Chan, Billboard, 5 May 2025

Noun

Security teams can no longer be measured by the mean time to detection or how quickly threats are identified, as that is just the beginning of security investigations. —Marcus Fowler, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

Or, rather than focusing on mean time to respond, emphasize mean time to impact, showing how quickly an unpatched vulnerability or exposure could negatively impact the bottom line. —Roi Cohen, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 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