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till

preposition
\ tᵊl, təl, ˈtil \

Definition of till 

(Entry 1 of 5)

1 or 'til or less commonly til : until
2 chiefly Scotland : to

till

conjunction
\ tᵊl, təl, ˈtil \
variants: or or less commonly til

Definition of till (Entry 2 of 5)

: until

till

verb
\ ˈtil \
tilled; tilling; tills

Definition of till (Entry 3 of 5)

transitive verb

: to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops : cultivate

till

noun (1)
\ ˈtil \

Definition of till (Entry 4 of 5)

1a : a money drawer in a store or bank also : cash register
b : a box, drawer, or tray in a receptacle (such as a cabinet or chest) used especially for valuables
2a : the money contained in a till
b : a supply of especially ready money

till

noun (2)
\ ˈtil \

Definition of till (Entry 5 of 5)

: unstratified glacial drift consisting of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders intermingled
Synonyms till, 'til, or 'till? Example Sentences Learn More about till

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Synonyms for till

Synonyms: Verb

cultivate, farm, tend

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till, 'til, or 'till?

Conjunction

People often ask which is the correct synonym of until: till, ’til, or ’till?

Many assume that till is an abbreviated form of until. Actually, it is a distinctive word that existed in English at least a century before until, both as a preposition meaning “to” and a conjunction meaning “until.” It has seen continuous use in English since the 12th century and is a perfectly legitimate synonym of until.

’Til and ’till are much newer words, having appeared in the language only in the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively. Both are variant spellings, either of until or of till. Writers of usage guides have roundly condemned ’till as a barbarism (apparently because it seems to have added a superfluous l to the end of until). ’Til, for its part, has been deemed inappropriate in formal writing.

To sum up: until and till can be used freely and interchangeably, but you will probably want to avoid ’till and use ’til advisedly.

Examples of till in a Sentence

Preposition

 We won't finish till next week. The event doesn't start till tomorrow.

Conjunction

 They kept playing till it got dark. He spun around till he was dizzy.

Verb

 The farmers are tilling the soil. farmers tilling the soil from sunup to sunset
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First Known Use of till

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Conjunction

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Noun (2)

1842, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for till

Preposition

Middle English, from Old English til; akin to Old Norse til to, till, Old English til good

Verb

Middle English tilien, tillen, from Old English tilian; akin to Old English til good, suitable, Old High German zil goal

Noun (1)

Middle English tille locker, chest

Noun (2)

origin unknown

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Learn More about till

Dictionary Entries near till

Tiliaceae

tilikum

tiling

till

tilla

tillable

tillage

Statistics for till

Last Updated

14 Jan 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for till

The first known use of till was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for till

till

verb

English Language Learners Definition of till

: to prepare (soil, a piece of land, etc.) for growing crops

See the full definition for till in the English Language Learners Dictionary

till

preposition or conjunction
\ ˈtil \

Kids Definition of till

 (Entry 1 of 3)

: until Wait till later. They played till it got dark.

till

verb
tilled; tilling

Kids Definition of till (Entry 2 of 3)

: to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on Farm workers till the fields.

till

noun

Kids Definition of till (Entry 3 of 3)

: a drawer for money

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More from Merriam-Webster on till

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with till

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for till

Spanish Central: Translation of till

Nglish: Translation of till for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of till for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about till

Comments on till

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