Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
meanwhile. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
meanwhile, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
meanwhile in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
meanwhile you have here. The definition of the word
meanwhile will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
meanwhile, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English menewhile, equivalent to mean (“intermediate”) + while. Adverb is by ellipsis from in the mean while, noun being conventionally written as one word after the adjective.
Pronunciation
Noun
meanwhile (plural meanwhiles)
- The time between two events.
- Quoted in 2002, Stephen C. Ausband, Byrd's Line: A Natural History (page 37)
- In the meanwhile, the surveyors carried the line three miles, which was no contemptible day's work, considering how cruelly they were entangled with briers and gallbushes.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Adverb
meanwhile (not comparable)
- During the time that something is happening, often specifically in a different place.
- Synonyms: in the meantime, meantime, meanwhilst, the while
There was a party going on downstairs. Meanwhile, I was reading a book.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him.
- During an intervening time; from now until a future time.
- Synonyms: meantime, until then, for now
We’re going on holiday next month; meanwhile, keep working on the project.
1955 March 1, Winston Churchill, “Defence”, in parliamentary debates (House of Commons), column 1905:The day may dawn when fair play, love for one's fellow men, respect for justice and freedom, will enable tormented generations to march forth triumphant from the hideous epoch in which we have to dwell. Meanwhile, never flinch, never weary, never despair.
2004, David Osterczy, Interknot: Adventures in Internet Dating, →ISBN, page 134:“ […] I’m not ignoring you, I’m very sorry, I’ll talk to you soon. Meanwhile, get your tickets.”
- In contrast to aspects previously mentioned.
- Synonyms: at the same time, on the other hand
Some songs on the album are beautiful. Meanwhile, others are quite forgettable.
2013 March 29, Markos Papadatos, quoting Marina Diamandis, “Marina And The Diamonds on 'How to be a Heartbreaker'”, in Greek Reporter:When you are in the studio you don’t have anybody to feed off of, meanwhile when you are playing live you interact with people and you feel the energy in the room.
Translations
during the time
- Basque: bitartean
- Belarusian: у то́й жа ча́с (u tój ža čás), тым ча́сам (tym čásam)
- Bulgarian: междувре́менно (bg) (mežduvrémenno)
- Catalan: mentrestant (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 同時/同时 (zh) (tóngshí)
- Czech: mezitím (cs)
- Danish: imens, i mellemtiden
- Dutch: intussen (nl), ondertussen (nl)
- Esperanto: dume, samtempe
- Finnish: samaan aikaan
- French: pendant ce temps-là (fr), entretemps (fr), en attendant (fr)
- Galician: namentres (gl), entrementres (gl), entanto, encanto
- German: währenddessen (de), inzwischen (de), derweil (de), einstweilen (de)
- Greek: εν τω μεταξύ (en to metaxý)
- Hungarian: eközben (hu), ezalatt (hu), közben (hu)
- Italian: intanto (it), nel frattempo
- Latin: interim, tantisper
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: imens (no), i mellomtiden (no)
- Nynorsk: imens, i mellomtida
- Persian: در این فاصله (dar in fâsele)
- Polish: tymczasem (pl), na razie (pl), w międzyczasie (pl)
- Portuguese: ao mesmo tempo, simultaneamente (pt)
- Romanian: între timp
- Russian: в э́то вре́мя (v éto vrémja), в то́ же вре́мя (ru) (v tó že vrémja)
- Sardinian: in tantu, peristantu
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Roman: u međuvremenu
- Slovene: medtem
- Spanish: mientras tanto
- Swedish: under tiden (sv), samtidigt (sv)
- Ukrainian: в то́й же ча́с (v tój že čás), тим ча́сом (tym čásom)
- Yiddish: דערווײַל (dervayl)
|
at the same time but elsewhere
- Arabic: أَمَّا (ar) (ʔammā), لَمَّا (lammā) فِي الأَثْنَاءِ (fī l-ʔaṯnāʔi)
- Belarusian: тым ча́сам (tym čásam), між ты́м (miž tým)
- Bulgarian: през това́ вре́ме (prez tová vréme)
- Catalan: mentrestant (ca), entretant (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 與此同時/与此同时 (zh) (yǔcǐtóngshí)
- Danish: imens, i mellemtiden
- Dutch: ondertussen (nl), intussen (nl), in de tussentijd
- Esperanto: dume
- Finnish: sillä aikaa (fi), sillä välin (fi)
- French: pendant ce temps-là (fr)
- Galician: namentres (gl), entrementres (gl), entanto
- German: währenddessen (de), unterdessen (de), in der Zwischenzeit, zwischenzeitlich (de), inzwischen (de)
- Greek: εν τω μεταξύ (en to metaxý)
- Hebrew: בינתיים (beintáyim)
- Hungarian: mindeközben (hu), időközben (hu)
- Italian: intanto (it), nel frattempo
- Japanese: その間に (sono aida ni)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: لە ھەمان کات (le heman kat)
- Latin: intereā
- Malay: sementara itu (ms), pada masa yang sama m pl
- Norwegian: imens (no)
- Polish: tymczasem (pl), w międzyczasie (pl)
- Portuguese: enquanto isso, entretanto (pt)
- Russian: тем вре́менем (ru) (tem vrémenem), ме́жду тем (ru) (méždu tem)
- Sardinian: in tantu, peristantu
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Roman: u međuvremenu
- Slovene: medtem
- Spanish: mientras tanto, entretanto (es), a todo esto, a todas estas
- Swedish: under tiden (sv), samtidigt (sv), under mellantiden
- Ukrainian: тим ча́сом (tym čásom), між ти́м (miž tým)
|
from now until a future time
in contrast or opposed to aspects previously mentioned
Anagrams