while 1 of 2

while

2 of 2

conjunction

1
as in when
at or during the time that pay attention while I'm explaining how the new phone system works

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in although
in spite of the fact that while this term paper is very well done, it's still late

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of while
Noun
The Avengers haven’t assembled on screen in a while, but Anthony Mackie tells PEOPLE their group text is very much active. Eric Andersson, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025 Taxpayers will, for a while, pay the price for this, as the ability to get to a human being at the IRS or get anything done that is not automated will be an issue. Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025 Some athletes go to considerable lengths to cope: Runner and sports dietitian Holley Samuel, RD, CSSD, even moved to a warmer climate for a while, in part, to ease symptoms. Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 6 Feb. 2025 Panasonic also partnered with Tesla on its first battery Gigafactory in Nevada and made solar panels for it at Tesla’s Buffalo, New York, plant for a while. Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for while 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for while
Noun
  • The series of talks will be a collaborative space where major stakeholders of models, agencies, brands, labor rights experts and ethicists will lead the charge to refine how the act will take shape and be enforced.
    Kanika Talwar, WWD, 11 Feb. 2025
  • The building at 38 North Genesee will have six residences on the top two floors, and 3,000 square feet of retail or office space.
    Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Instead, her life was turned upside down last week after President Donald Trump’s administration began instituting mass layoffs as part of an aggressive effort to trim the federal workforce.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Tyson and Flair can often be seen at dispensaries, cannabis trade shows and events, all in an effort to promote their growing brands.
    Will Yakowicz, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Traditional computers do calculations using bits: data that exists in one state at a time, a one or a zero.
    Katie Hunt, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025
  • Wiggins arrived in early 2020, the product of a shrewd bit of business by the Warriors to turn Kevin Durant’s departure from the team into D’Angelo Russell, whom the Timberwolves were known to covet.
    Michael Nowels, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • His work on The Traitors U.S. won him an Emmy last year for Outstanding Reality Competition Program.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Bacon will partake in a career retrospective, looking back at his works from Footloose to the upcoming Amazon series The Bondsman.
    Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
Conjunction
  • But scientists and doctors say things aren’t that simple — and a belief that exposing children to marijuana, either directly or indirectly, is harmless isn’t supported by the facts.
    Daniel M. Jimenez, The Cannifornian, 22 June 2017
  • But with a full and volatile season behind them, the two have grown closer, prompting check-ins from Bradford last month, seeking tidbits from his coach who watched OTA practices on a tablet from his Kentucky retreat.
    Chad Graff, Twin Cities, 15 June 2017

Thesaurus Entries Near while

Cite this Entry

“While.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/while. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

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