Did you know?
till, 'til, or 'till?
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.
Synonyms
Examples of till in a Sentence
David Shortell Marian Carrasquero, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2023
In the meantime, volunteers with Friends of the Ballona Wetlands are tilling the soil and preparing to put in scores of new trees and plants to help with the environmental restoration.
—Erika D. Smith, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
Now that the picking has ended, Barnes will get back on his tractor and begin tilling under the stalks to prepare for a fall planting of cabbage, broccoli and collards.
—Jim Morrison, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2023
Cover crops are a big part of no-till farming but can be a challenge for home gardeners because many need to be tilled in or sprayed with an herbicide to terminate the crop, Chernoh said.
—oregonlive, 7 Sep. 2023
Understanding and improving the soil through keeping a living root in the soil for as much of the time as possible, avoiding tilling or digging, and using organic matter as mulches, are all important in creating a garden that can withstand heat waves in summer.
—Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 8 Aug. 2023
This newest work of his is rooted in soil he’s been tilling for some years.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 27 July 2023
Construction can affect the tilling farms need for drainage, while also adding traffic and noise.
—Jeff Stein, Anchorage Daily News, 24 July 2023
Unsure how a four-week summer botany camp in June would evolve into a STEM camp in July, participants now understand how science, technology engineering and math create fresh produce without tilling soil or pulling a weed.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 21 July 2023
Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 21 Nov. 2023
Separately, Nirenberg noted, the city’s emergency housing assistance program has put $74 million in the hands of 16,000 needy households trying to cover living costs including rent and utilities — and still has about $7 million left in the till.
—Joshua Fechter, ExpressNews.com, 12 Jan. 2021
Even with Sally stealing from the till, waitressing’s not enough to cover a fugitive lifestyle like this.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2023
One heard tales of staff—the waitresses in dirndl skirts, the most powerful and trusted masseurs—who moved to Maria Wörth for higher wages, or employees being dismissed for having their hands in the till.
—Janine Di Giovanni, Town & Country, 28 Apr. 2023
There is a feeling in the country that there are no repercussions for politicians who dip their hands into the till.
—Aanu Adeoye, Quartz, 30 June 2021
Houston, with Dom Capers at the till, was 1-3.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 6 Oct. 2020
The woman opened the till.
—Brian Blickenstaff, Outside Online, 10 Dec. 2012
But some of that money is in the till.
—Tom Condon, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'till.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
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
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
Phrases Containing till
Articles Related to till
Dictionary Entries Near till
Cite this Entry
“Till.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/till. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
till
1 of 4 preposition or conjunctiontill
2 of 4 verbtill
3 of 4 nountill
4 of 4 nounPreposition or conjunction
Old English til "until"
Verb
Old English tilian "to work (land) by plowing and raising crops"
Noun
origin unknown
More from Merriam-Webster on till
Nglish: Translation of till for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of till for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about till
Share