Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- conjunction While.
from The Century Dictionary.
- While; during the time that; as long as; at the same time that.
- At times.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adverb rare Meanwhile; meantime.
- adverb Scot. sometimes; at times.
- adverb See under
While , n. - conjunction Archaic During the time that; while.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- conjunction archaic
while - verb Third-person singular simple present indicative form of
while .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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"Well, I hope 'whiles' don't come very often, then," laughing.
Hunter's Marjory A Story for Girls Margaret Bruce Clarke
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And having drawled out the word "whiles" to the uttermost possible length, he suddenly began to snap his fingers and dance an Irish jig upon the wooden planks of the stelling.
We and the World, Part II A Book for Boys Juliana Horatia Gatty Ewing 1863
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Psalm in the old Scottish version, which she "whiles" liked to do.
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He was captious with his sisters "whiles," she acknowledged in secret; he was arbitrary with his little brothers when they neglected tasks of his giving; and tried his mother and his grandmother, now and then, as young lads always have, and always will try their mothers and grandmothers, until old heads can be put on young shoulders.
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There the wind whistled too, "whiles," with the fall approbation of snow birds and chickadees, -- the three going out of fashion together.
Say and Seal, Volume II Susan Warner 1852
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Come morning he sneaks out, whiles his mum's snoring off last night's gin, with a pot for an helmet, a stick for sword, and his trusty old slingshot.
Jack Scallywag Hal Duncan 2009
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And this is one of those worth-whiles of impossibles.
CHAPTER XXXIV 2010
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Between whiles, and all the while, he gauged the gusts, and ever his eyes lifted to the main-topgallant-yard.
CHAPTER XXXVIII 2010
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"Horton Hatches the Egg" always brings tears to my eyes at the unrepentant selfishness of Mayzie, the avian who abandons her egg to poor Horton whiles she parties in Palm Beach.
World According to Dr. Seuss Ralph Gardner Jr. 2011
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S.J. Higbee whiles away her time writing science fiction and fantasy — her sci-fi adventure novel “Running Out of Space” is due out this year with Cyberwizard Publications.
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