How to Use while in a Sentence

while

1 of 2 noun

• It took them a while to find out what was causing the problem.
• So things were hard for a while.
  — Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025
• Don’t come near me for a while.
  — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
• That’s been the case for a while.
  — The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
• That all feels like a while ago.
  — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
• For a while there, there was hope.
  — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 6 Feb. 2026
• But it’s been a while since then.
  — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 2 Oct. 2025
• And it’s been that way for a while.
  — Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Feb. 2026
• And so that might take a while longer.
  — David Remnick, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
• Sure, some have been around for a while.
  — Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Feb. 2026
• Haven’t been to the beach in a while.
  — Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025
• So it's been a while for most of us.
  — Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
• So it's been in the works for a while.
  — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
• And might not be the case for a while.
  — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
• So that’s a dream of yours for a while.
  — Chris Willman, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
• The ban has been in the works for a while.
  — Jesse Wright, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
• Touched on how it hasn’t been played in a while.
  — Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
• Once in a while, give the lawyers a day off.
  — Don McKellar, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
• This sad but true joke has been around for a while.
  — Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 2 Jan. 2026
• Even the best chefs burn a dish once in a while.
  — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
• Tay played well for a while and then maybe not so well.
  — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
• The sports gods shined on them for once in a long while.
  — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026
• For a while, their tryst seems like a very, very good one.
  — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2026
• That sounds like a good place to stop for a while and learn.
  — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
• This is your last clean shot at a blood moon for a while.
  — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
• And sources say the winds of change have been felt for a while.
  — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 27 Mar. 2026
• Well at least for a little while.
  — Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026
• Feel like hanging out for a while?
  — Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Feb. 2026
• These crops take a while to mature.
  — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 22 Feb. 2026
• So this process will take a while, Lovell says.
  — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026

while

2 of 2 verb

• Veterans can while away days on the golf course next door.
  — Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 2018-03-10
• Bermondsey is simply buzzing with trendy bars to while away the hours in.
  — Tom Marchant, Harper's BAZAAR, 2017-12-07
• Here’s just a sampling of ways to while away the time, now and when the weather warms this spring.
  — Angela Hill, The Mercury News, 2017-01-26
• Once settled, you will be tempted to while away the time on your dock, soaking in the scene.
  — Orange County Register, 2017-01-25
• Next, move to dense cover where rabbits retreat to while away the midday hours.
  — T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, 2020-02-03
• Few who are well versed in tarot would mistake a serious deck as a fun way to while away the afternoon.
  — Jane Stern, Town & Country, 2018-09-24
• Its raison d'etre was bon vivance; good food and good times, a place to while away lazy summer days, eat heartily and drink well.
  — Lianne Turner and Thomas Page, CNN, 2017-06-14
• It’s one of the most beautiful places in Napa to while away an afternoon.
  — Kim Westerman, Forbes, 2021-09-01
• These were not the places in which the Detroit Tigers expected to while away their April hours.
  — Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, 2020-04-23
• Besides the many outdoor venues in which to while away the day, design shops also serve as popular social hubs.
  — Beth Lapides, ELLE Decor, 2011-11-29
• Ignoring his mom’s wishes, Ash elects to while away a day in Denska, a young ghost town.
  — Washington Post, 2019-10-10
• The amateur who merely wants to while away long hours can easily feel inadequate to the task.
  — The Economist, 2020-04-22
• Many leisure travelers use laptops and tablets to while away the hours watching movies or playing games, or to keep their kids entertained.
  — Joyce M. Rosenberg, The Seattle Times, 2017-05-17
• Some have taken to baking to while away the hours during lockdown; others embraced gardening.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 2020-05-28
• The adjoining no-frills, outdoor Shipwreck Bar is a place to while the rest of the afternoon away.
  — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 2019-07-03
• In March, Sánchez was furloughed from Made Nice and began to while away quarantine by drafting a dream menu.
  — Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 2020-10-02
• Plenty of relaxed shoreline trails draw hikers and cyclists here, while picturesque picnic areas and pebbly beaches make great places to while away an afternoon.
  — Daniel Otis, Sunset, 2018-01-22
• At age 59, most rock stars would be happy to while away the time between tours luxuriating on a tropical island as the royalty checks roll in.
  — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 2017-12-23
• Here’s a look at 10 places to while away the afternoon for less than $10 (adult admission, other discounts often available).
  — Martina Schimitschek, sandiegouniontribune.com, 2017-05-26
• The restaurant, Trade Route, offers its own take on traditional southern cuisine, and the spa provides a refreshing way to while away an hour or two.
  — Patti Nickell, chicagotribune.com, 2019-09-24
• And resist the temptation to while away the time between flashes by looking at your phone—the bright screen will compromise your night vision for another 20 minutes.
  — Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 2020-01-02
• Floating along the lazy Russian River in an inner tube accessorized with an inflatable pink flamingo cooler is a perfect way to while away the summer.
  — Catherine Bigelow, SFChronicle.com, 2018-07-10
• An unanticipated problem was encountered, check back soon and try again The holidays may be over, but winter is still here — and what better way to while away these dark nights than with ghost stories?
  — Christian Holub, EW.com, 2020-01-10
• But the Cube was fundamentally a cerebral, calm pursuit, perfect for the latchkey children of the 1980s to while away their lonely, Xbox-free hours.
  — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, 2017-06-28
• Luckily, a podcast revolution is providing listeners with hours of stories, interviews and chats to while away the hours on America's highways.
  — Philly.com, 2017-07-16
• Luckily, a podcast revolution is providing listeners with hours of stories, interviews and chats to while away the hours on America’s highways.
  — idahostatesman, 2017-07-07
• Likewise, as middle-class Victorian women began to take up knitting as a hobby, the far more delicate and decorative work was deemed an appropriate way for upper-class women to while away their time.
  — Sadhbh O'Sullivan, refinery29.com, 2020-05-04
• To hole up at Claridge’s posh bar or bed down in one of its suites is an experience in itself, but to while away an afternoon over tea in the Art Deco Foyer is a particularly special one.
  — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 2017-12-13
• Members also can stream the concert on demand for a limited time afterward, perhaps to while away the hours until Amazon’s Prime Day sale, which starts at midnight July 15 and runs for 48 hours.
  — Christie D'zurilla, latimes.com, 2019-06-27
• The twin political hallmarks of the Republican Party in Wisconsin since 2010 have been party unity and the ability to do just about whatever the party wants to while in power.
  — Craig Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2017-07-28