meanwhile

1 of 2

noun

mean·while ˈmēn-ˌ(h)wī(-ə)l How to pronounce meanwhile (audio)

: the time before something happens or before a specified period ends : meantime

in the meanwhile colleges and universities have become somewhere near one hundred times more complex

Dennis O'Brien

meanwhile

2 of 2

adverb

: during the intervening time

meanwhile, however, new projects are being undertaken this year

Jonathan Eberhart

: at the same time

You can set the table, and meanwhile I'll start cooking dinner.

Did you know?

Meantime vs. Meanwhile

Meantime and meanwhile have both been used as nouns in prepositional phrases like "in the meantime/meanwhile" since their earliest use in the 1300s. Both have been used as adverbs, like in "meanwhile/meantime, down at the farm…," since the late 1500s. They've been interchangeable for pretty much all of their long histories. But that doesn't mean they don't each have their favorite territory.

Meantime is the one that's usually used as a noun—that is, as the object of the preposition in phrases like "in the meantime" and "for the meantime":

We're headed to the beach this afternoon. In the meantime, I'm going to the grocery store.

And meanwhile is the usual choice for the role of adverb:

The kids are excited about the beach. Meanwhile, someone has to think about dinner.

But you'll see and hear examples that are counter to these generalizations, like the following:

In the meanwhile, someone should find the beach towels.

The baby is napping. Meantime, the older kids are looking for beach toys.

"In the meanwhile" has been accused of being "unidiomatic" (i.e. of sounding weird), but it isn't so unidiomatic that native speakers instinctively avoid it. If you use it, there's no reason you should stop.

But if you want to use this pair in the ways they're most often used and need help remembering which goes where, you can think of this sentence:

In the time it takes to say "in the meantime," you could just as well say "meanwhile."

Example Sentences

Adverb You can set the table. Meanwhile, I'll start making dinner. She spent four years studying for her law degree. Meanwhile, she continued to work at the bank. He can come back to work when he's feeling better, but meanwhile he should be resting as much as possible.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the meanwhile, the freight rail industry has continued safety implementation, using systems like Automated Track Inspection that outperforms human inspections by as much as 90 percent.

Roslyn Layton, Forbes, 28 June 2022 In the meanwhile, Kellogg is working on its 18th consecutive year of dividend hikes—though it should be noted that payout growth has flattened significantly in recent years.

Brett Owens, Forbes, 1 June 2022 In the meanwhile, Musk got an injunction of fresh money.

Anat Alon-beck, Forbes, 5 May 2022 In the meanwhile, Dorsey has fully embraced the largest cryptocurrency by including Bitcoin micropayment Lightening Network in Twitter’s tipping function and launching the NFT profile function.

Jialiang David Pan, Bloomberg.com, 8 Apr. 2022 In the meanwhile, Bennett waits and hopes he will be given a shot at a human heart transplant.

Brandy Schillace, Wired, 27 Jan. 2022 The last film premiered in 2018 and Baranski has some ideas about what her Dynamo alter-ego has been up to in the meanwhile.

Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 25 Jan. 2022 How many people would have died of rabies in the meanwhile? Vaccines work wonders.

Rebecca Coffey, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2021 In the meanwhile, while moving to electric vehicles will be necessary, companies, investors, and the public should remember that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done and no immediate magic solution to a big and complex problem.

Zenger News, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2021

Adverb

White students, meanwhile, make up nearly 43% of enrollment but received about 28% of the tickets.

Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, 14 Sep. 2022 The Cardinals offense, meanwhile, ranked 27th in yards per play (4.5) in Week 1, hardly an inspiring start for a unit that was looking to get more explosive.

Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 14 Sep. 2022 Russian officials, meanwhile, continued to warn the West against further help for Kyiv.

Ian Lovett, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022 Azerbaijan, meanwhile, tweeted Wednesday that some of its military units were also being subjected to artillery fire.

Tara Subramaniam, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022 Some Democrats, meanwhile, sought to undercut Morse, seemingly in the belief that elevating Bolduc would net them a more beatable foe.

Bytal Axelrod, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2022 Sures, meanwhile, helped build UTA’s TV business, and oversees its news, speakers, and culture and leadership businesses.

Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2022 Sky News, meanwhile, will have anchors stationed at Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey as well as roving reporters speaking to the crowd.

K.j. Yossman, Variety, 13 Sep. 2022 Qualley, meanwhile, had to run an emotional gauntlet as a single mom struggling to escape homelessness, and is in practically every frame of the 10 episodes of Maid.

Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2022 See More

单词	meanwhile
释义	meanwhile 1 of 2 noun mean·while ˈmēn-ˌ(h)wī(-ə)l : the time before something happens or before a specified period ends : meantime in the meanwhile colleges and universities have become somewhere near one hundred times more complex Dennis O'Brien meanwhile 2 of 2 adverb 1 : during the intervening time meanwhile, however, new projects are being undertaken this year Jonathan Eberhart 2 : at the same time You can set the table, and meanwhile I'll start cooking dinner. Did you know? Meantime vs. Meanwhile Meantime and meanwhile have both been used as nouns in prepositional phrases like "in the meantime/meanwhile" since their earliest use in the 1300s. Both have been used as adverbs, like in "meanwhile/meantime, down at the farm…," since the late 1500s. They've been interchangeable for pretty much all of their long histories. But that doesn't mean they don't each have their favorite territory. Meantime is the one that's usually used as a noun—that is, as the object of the preposition in phrases like "in the meantime" and "for the meantime": We're headed to the beach this afternoon. In the meantime, I'm going to the grocery store. And meanwhile is the usual choice for the role of adverb: The kids are excited about the beach. Meanwhile, someone has to think about dinner. But you'll see and hear examples that are counter to these generalizations, like the following: In the meanwhile, someone should find the beach towels. The baby is napping. Meantime, the older kids are looking for beach toys. "In the meanwhile" has been accused of being "unidiomatic" (i.e. of sounding weird), but it isn't so unidiomatic that native speakers instinctively avoid it. If you use it, there's no reason you should stop. But if you want to use this pair in the ways they're most often used and need help remembering which goes where, you can think of this sentence: In the time it takes to say "in the meantime," you could just as well say "meanwhile." Example Sentences Adverb You can set the table. Meanwhile, I'll start making dinner. She spent four years studying for her law degree. Meanwhile, she continued to work at the bank. He can come back to work when he's feeling better, but meanwhile he should be resting as much as possible. Recent Examples on the Web Noun In the meanwhile, the freight rail industry has continued safety implementation, using systems like Automated Track Inspection that outperforms human inspections by as much as 90 percent. Roslyn Layton, Forbes, 28 June 2022 In the meanwhile, Kellogg is working on its 18th consecutive year of dividend hikes—though it should be noted that payout growth has flattened significantly in recent years. Brett Owens, Forbes, 1 June 2022 In the meanwhile, Musk got an injunction of fresh money. Anat Alon-beck, Forbes, 5 May 2022 In the meanwhile, Dorsey has fully embraced the largest cryptocurrency by including Bitcoin micropayment Lightening Network in Twitter’s tipping function and launching the NFT profile function. Jialiang David Pan, Bloomberg.com, 8 Apr. 2022 In the meanwhile, Bennett waits and hopes he will be given a shot at a human heart transplant. Brandy Schillace, Wired, 27 Jan. 2022 The last film premiered in 2018 and Baranski has some ideas about what her Dynamo alter-ego has been up to in the meanwhile. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 25 Jan. 2022 How many people would have died of rabies in the meanwhile? Vaccines work wonders. Rebecca Coffey, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2021 In the meanwhile, while moving to electric vehicles will be necessary, companies, investors, and the public should remember that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done and no immediate magic solution to a big and complex problem. Zenger News, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2021 Adverb White students, meanwhile, make up nearly 43% of enrollment but received about 28% of the tickets. Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, 14 Sep. 2022 The Cardinals offense, meanwhile, ranked 27th in yards per play (4.5) in Week 1, hardly an inspiring start for a unit that was looking to get more explosive. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 14 Sep. 2022 Russian officials, meanwhile, continued to warn the West against further help for Kyiv. Ian Lovett, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022 Azerbaijan, meanwhile, tweeted Wednesday that some of its military units were also being subjected to artillery fire. Tara Subramaniam, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022 Some Democrats, meanwhile, sought to undercut Morse, seemingly in the belief that elevating Bolduc would net them a more beatable foe. Bytal Axelrod, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2022 Sures, meanwhile, helped build UTA’s TV business, and oversees its news, speakers, and culture and leadership businesses. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2022 Sky News, meanwhile, will have anchors stationed at Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey as well as roving reporters speaking to the crowd. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 13 Sep. 2022 Qualley, meanwhile, had to run an emotional gauntlet as a single mom struggling to escape homelessness, and is in practically every frame of the 10 episodes of Maid. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2022 See More Word History First Known Use Noun 14th century, in the meaning defined above Adverb 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing meanwhile in the meanwhile in the meanwhile Kids Definition meanwhile 1 of 2 noun mean·while ˈmēn-ˌhwīl -ˌwīl : meantime entry 1 meanwhile 2 of 2 adverb 1 : meantime entry 2 2 : at the same time
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meanwhile

noun

adverb

Did you know?

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing meanwhile

Kids Definition

noun

adverb