- a period of time
- for a while I only stayed for a short while.
- They chatted for a while.
- I haven't seen him for quite a while (= a fairly long time).
- He is fitter now than he has been for a long while.
- after a while After a while John started to relax a bit.
- in a while I'll be back in a little while (= a short time).
- It took me a while (= a fairly long time) to realize what he meant.
- This could take a while (= a long time), so be patient.
- They walked back together, talking all the while (= all the time).
- for the while There's no need to do anything for the while (= for a short time).
- He left a while ago.
- The problems started a while back.
Extra ExamplesTopics Timeb1- He kept me waiting for quite a while.
- The bird hopped across the lawn, keeping a sharp lookout all the while.
- Things continued quiet for some while.
- I'll mend it for you, but it could take a while.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- brief
- little
- short
- …
- take
- after a while
- for a while
- for the while
- …
- all the while
- once in a while
- (for) quite a while
- …
Word OriginOld English hwīl ‘period of time’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wijl, German Weile; the conjunction is an abbreviation of Old English thā hwīle the ‘the while that’.
Idioms
See while in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee while in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English(every) once in a while
- occasionally
- Everybody makes a mistake once in a while.
worth somebody’s while
- interesting or useful for somebody to do
- It will be worth your while to come to the meeting.
- He'll do the job if you make it worth his while (= pay him well).
Check pronunciation:
while