While

How to spell while

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce while

What does while mean?

1. conjunctionDuring the time that something else is happening.
2. nounA length or period of time.
3. verbTo pass time in a relaxed or unhurried way, usually in the phrase to while away.

While in a sentence

• conjunction

  She answered emails while the kettle boiled.

• noun

  It took quite a while to find a parking space.

• verb

  They would while away the afternoon playing cards.

• conjunction

  Please do not use your phone while driving.

• noun

  We have not spoken in a long while.

• verb

  She likes to while away rainy evenings with a good novel.

Where does while come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a thoroughly native English word, descending from the Old English noun hwil, which simply meant a space or period of time. It traces back through the Proto-Germanic form hwilo to an ancient root meaning rest or pause, and it has close cousins across the Germanic family, including the Dutch wijl and the German Weile. The original meaning survives in everyday phrases such as a long while and once in a while, where while is clearly a noun for a stretch of time. From that noun grew the familiar conjunction sense, during the time that, and later the verb in to while away the hours. The spelling keeps the silent w of the old hw cluster, which is why while sounds identical to the unrelated word wile, a trick or piece of cunning; keeping the two apart in writing is the main spelling trap.

How the word is built

• while (from Old English hwil: a space of time); single native root, no affixes