while away

while a·way

W w

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [hwahyl, wahyl uh-wey]
- /ʰwaɪl, waɪl əˈweɪ/
- /waɪl əˈweɪ/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [hwahyl, wahyl uh-wey]
- /ʰwaɪl, waɪl əˈweɪ/

Definitions of while away words

noun while away a period or interval of time: to wait a long while; He arrived a short while ago. 1
noun while away Archaic. a particular time or occasion. 1
preposition while away Archaic. until. 1
verb with object while away to cause (time) to pass, especially in some easy or pleasant manner (usually followed by away). 1
idioms while away all the while, at or during this time; all along: She realized all the while that the cake would fall. 1
idioms while away worth one's while, worth one's time, trouble, or expense: The art exhibition that opened yesterday isn't worth your while. 1

See all 10 definitions of while away

Information block about the term

Origin of while away

First appearance:

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; Middle English; Old English hwīl; cognate with Dutch wijl, German weile, Old Norse hvīla, Gothic hweila

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for While away

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of While away

while away popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

while away usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for while away

verb while away

boondoggle — People sometimes refer to an official organization or activity as a boondoggle when they think it wastes a lot of time and money and does not achieve much.
dally — If you dally, you act or move very slowly, wasting time.
idled — not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing: idle workers.
lollygag — lallygag.
lollygagging — lallygag.

All 6 Synonyms of while away