until

1 of 2

preposition

un·​til ən-ˈtil 

-ˈtel;

ˈən-ˌtil,

-ˌtel,

-tᵊl

1

chiefly Scotland : to

2

—used as a function word to indicate continuance (as of an action or condition) to a specified time

stayed until morning

3

: before sense 2

not available until tomorrow

we don't open until ten

until

2 of 2

conjunction

: up to the time that : up to such time as

play continued until it got dark

never able to relax until he took up fishing

ran until she was breathless

Did you know?

till, 'til, or 'till?

People often ask which is the correct synonym of until, till, ’til, or ’till?

Many assume that till is an abbreviated form of until. In fact, it is a distinct word that existed in English at least a century before until, both as a preposition meaning “to” and as a conjunction meaning “until.” It has seen continuous use in English since the 12th century and is a perfectly legitimate synonym of until.

’Til and ’till are much newer words, having appeared in the language only in the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively. Both are variant spellings of until and till. Writers of usage guides have roundly condemned ’till as a barbarism (apparently because it seems to have added a superfluous L to the end of until). ’Til, for its part, has been deemed inappropriate in formal writing.

In summary, until and till can be used freely and interchangeably, but you will probably want to avoid ’till and use ’til advisedly.

Examples of until in a Sentence

Conjunction

We played until it got dark.

Keep going until I tell you to stop.

I ran until I was breathless.

Stay here until the danger has passed.

Stir the dough until it forms a ball.

Word History

Etymology

Preposition

Middle English, from un- (probably from Old Norse *und up to; akin to Old Norse unz up to, until, Old High German unt, Old English ende end) + til, till till

First Known Use

Preposition

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Conjunction

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

until

1 of 2 preposition

un·​til ən-ˌtil 

-tᵊl,

-ˌtel,

ˌən-,

 in some contexts  ᵊn-,

ᵊm-,

 or  ᵊŋ-

1

: up to the time of

stayed until morning

2

: before sense 3

doesn't open until ten

until

2 of 2 conjunction

: up to the time that

played until it got dark

ran until I was breathless