while

• POS: Conjunction, Noun, Preposition, Verb (transitive)
• COUNT in NET: 458 in 446 verses (in OT : 303 in 296 verses) (in NT : 155 in 150 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

while, n. [AS. hwīl; akin to OS. hwīl, hwīla, OFries. hwīle, D. wigl, G. weile, OHG. wīla, hwīla, hwīl, Icel. hvīla a bed, hvīld rest, Sw. hvila, Dan. hvile, Goth. hweila a time, and probably to L. quietus quiet, and perhaps to Gr. the proper time of season. Quiet, Whilom.].

•  Space of time, or continued duration, esp. when short; a time; as, one while we thought him innocent.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

  "This mighty queen may no while endure."  [1913 Webster]

  "[Some guest that] hath outside his welcome while,
  And tells the jest without the smile."  [1913 Webster]

  "I will go forth and breathe the air a while."  [1913 Webster]
•  That which requires time; labor; pains.  [1913 Webster]

  "Satan . . . cast him how he might quite her while."  [1913 Webster]

  "And so on us at whiles it falls, to claim
  Powers that we dread."  [1913 Webster]

while, v. t. 

 To cause to pass away pleasantly or without irksomeness or disgust; to spend or pass; -- usually followed by away.  [1913 Webster]
"The lovely lady whiled the hours away."  [1913 Webster]

while, v. i. 

 To loiter.  Spectator.  [1913 Webster]

while, conj. 

•  During the time that; as long as; whilst; at the same time that; as, while I write, you sleep.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  "Use your memory; you will sensibly experience a gradual improvement, while you take care not to overload it."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, under which circumstances; in which case; though; whereas.  [1913 Webster]

While as, While that, during or at the time that. [Obs.]

while, prep. 

 Until; till.  [1913 Webster]
"I may be conveyed into your chamber;
I'll lie under your bed while midnight."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

while, n., conj., v., & adv.
--n.
1 a space of time, time spent in some action (a long while ago; waited a while; all this while).
2 (prec. by the) a during some other process. b poet. during the time that.
3 (prec. by a) for some time (have not seen you a while).
--conj.
1 during the time that; for as long as; at the same time as (while I was away, the house was burgled; fell asleep while reading).
2 in spite of the fact that; although, whereas (while I want to believe it, I cannot).
3 N.Engl. until (wait while Monday).
--v.tr. (foll. by away) pass (time etc.) in a leisurely or interesting manner.
--rel.adv. (prec. by time etc.) during which (the summer while I was abroad).

Idiom

all the while during the whole time (that). for a long while for a long time past. for a while for some time. a good (or great) while a considerable time. in a while (or little while) soon, shortly. worth while (or one's while) worth the time or effort spent.

Etymology

OE hwil f. Gmc: (conj.) abbr. of OE tha hwile the, ME the while that

THESAURUS

while

albeit, although, amuse, as far as, as long as, at which time, beguile, bit, brighten, chronology, continuity, day, divert, duration, duree, during which time, elbow grease, enliven, entertain, exertion, fateful moment, hour, howbeit, instant, interval, juncture, kairos, lastingness, lighten, meantime, meanwhile, minute, moment, moment of truth, pains, period, point, pregnant moment, psychological moment, psychological time, season, space, space-time, span, spell, stage, stretch, tense, term, the future, the past, the present, the while, tide, time, time lag, timebinding, trouble, when, whereas, whet, whilst, wile

ROGET THESAURUS

while

Time

N time, duration, period, term, stage, space, span, spell, season, the whole time, the whole period, space-time, course, snap, intermediate time, while, interim, interval, pendency, intervention, intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interlude, respite, era, epoch, time of life, age, year, date, decade, moment, glass of time, sands of time, march of time, Father Time, ravages of time, arrow of time, river of time, whirligig of time, noiseless foot of time, scythe, continuing, on foot, permanent, while, whilst, during, pending, during the time, during the interval, in the course of, at that point, at that point in time, for the time being, day by day, in the time of, when, meantime, meanwhile, in the meantime, in the interim, ad interim, pendente lite, de die in diem, from day to day, from hour to hour, hourly, always, for a time, for a season, till, until, up to, yet, as far as, by that time, so far, hereunto, heretofore, prior to this, up to this point, the whole time, all the time, all along, throughout, for good, hereupon, thereupon, whereupon, then, anno Domini, A, D, ante Christum, A, C, before Christ, B, C, anno urbis conditae, A, U, C, anno regni, A, R, once upon a time, one fine morning, one fine day, one day, once, time flies, tempus fugit, time runs out, time runs against, race against time, racing the clock, time marches on, time is of the essence, time and tide wait for no man, ad calendas Groecas, panting Time toileth after him in vain, 'gainst the tooth of time and razure of oblivion, rich with the spoils of time, tempus edax rerum, the long hours come and go, the time is out of joint, Time rolls his ceaseless course, Time the foe of man's dominion, time wasted is existence, used is life, truditur dies die, volat hora per orbem, carpe diem, time, duration, period, term, stage, space, span, spell, season, the whole time, the whole period, space-time, course, snap, intermediate time, while, interim, interval, pendency, intervention, intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interlude, respite, era, epoch, time of life, age, year, date, decade, moment, glass of time, sands of time, march of time, Father Time, ravages of time, arrow of time, river of time, whirligig of time, noiseless foot of time, scythe, continuing, on foot, permanent, while, whilst, during, pending, during the time, during the interval, in the course of, at that point, at that point in time, for the time being, day by day, in the time of, when, meantime, meanwhile, in the meantime, in the interim, ad interim, pendente lite, de die in diem, from day to day, from hour to hour, hourly, always, for a time, for a season, till, until, up to, yet, as far as, by that time, so far, hereunto, heretofore, prior to this, up to this point, the whole time, all the time, all along, throughout, for good, hereupon, thereupon, whereupon, then, anno Domini, A, D, ante Christum, A, C, before Christ, B, C, anno urbis conditae, A, U, C, anno regni, A, R, once upon a time, one fine morning, one fine day, one day, once, time flies, tempus fugit, time runs out, time runs against, race against time, racing the clock, time marches on, time is of the essence, time and tide wait for no man, ad calendas Groecas, panting Time toileth after him in vain, 'gainst the tooth of time and razure of oblivion, rich with the spoils of time, tempus edax rerum, the long hours come and go, the time is out of joint, Time rolls his ceaseless course, Time the foe of man's dominion, time wasted is existence, used is life, truditur dies die, volat hora per orbem, carpe diem.