WHILE
What does "WHILE" mean?
During the time that; also a period of time.
Meanings
- During the time that something happens. She read while the soup simmered.
- Whereas; used to contrast two facts. He likes tea, while she prefers coffee.
- A period or interval of time. Let's rest a while.
- To pass time pleasantly (in 'while away'). They whiled away the afternoon by the river.
Did you know?
- When something is 'worth your while,' the 'while' is your time itself - the phrase quietly prices an hour of your life against the reward.
Word origin
From Old English 'hwīl', meaning a period of time, of Germanic origin; the same root gives 'whilst' and underlies the phrase 'worth one's while'.
Remember it
WHILE holds 'WHI-LE' - picture a clock face: a 'while' is just a slice of time you wait inside.
A little poem
Kettle climbing slow
toward its one shrill note - a while
is just the wait, named.
haiku
Wordplay
- I spent a while deciding what to do with my afternoon, and now the only thing I have to show for it is the while.
What it teaches
A while is time you can never re-spend; choose carefully what is worth yours.
Quick facts
What does WHILE mean?
During the time that; also a period of time.
Is WHILE a valid word?
Yes — WHILE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is WHILE?
WHILE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does WHILE come from?
From Old English 'hwīl', meaning a period of time, of Germanic origin; the same root gives 'whilst' and underlies the phrase 'worth one's while'.
What can WHILE teach us?
A while is time you can never re-spend; choose carefully what is worth yours.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.