While is an English word with synonyms like piece or spell. Below you'll find 10+ example sentences showing how it's used in practice.
While meaning
- An uncertain duration of time, a period of time.
- An uncertain long period of time
Using While
- The main meaning on this page is: An uncertain duration of time, a period of time. | An uncertain duration of time, a period of time. | An uncertain long period of time
- Useful related words include: piece, spell, patch, time.
- Possible Dutch translations are: tijdje, momentje, een hele tijd.
- In the example corpus, while often appears in combinations such as: while the, and while, while also.
Context around While
- Average sentence length in these examples: 33.3 words
- Position in the sentence: 15 start, 5 middle, 0 end
- Sentence types: 20 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations
Corpus analysis for While
- In this selection, "while" usually appears near the start of the sentence. The average example has 33.3 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
- Around the word, driving, home, objects, attending, driving and riding stand out and add context to how "while" is used.
- Recognizable usage signals include 80 efficient while discharging while and a hospital while culture secretary. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
- By corpus frequency, "while" sits close to words such as than, what and no, which helps place it inside the broader word index.
Example types with while
The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:
Characters can run while exploring now, but you can turn off this buff at any time while navigating dangerous dungeons or while sneaking. (23 words)
And while we wouldn't do this while actually driving, having a bigger mirror to check on things while parked would be so nice. (24 words)
They’ve followed her while running errands to Trader Joes food market, while heading to a yoga session, and while trying to attend church services. (25 words)
Thirty-eight percent of Gen Z consumers admitted to looking at their phone more frequently while behind the wheel; 34% of Gen Z drivers video chatted while driving and 24% of Gen Z and 23% of Millennials used or checked social media while driving. (44 words)
I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element, I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free. (41 words)
One is bright and colorful, while the other is dark and gritty; one is actually set in the game's universe, while the other’s universe is barely recognizable; one was a commercial success, while the other was a flop. (40 words)
Example sentences (20)
And while surrounding yourself with objects while with someone can show disinterest, placing objects near you while you're alone is said to boost your confidence levels.
And while we wouldn't do this while actually driving, having a bigger mirror to check on things while parked would be so nice.
One is bright and colorful, while the other is dark and gritty; one is actually set in the game's universe, while the other’s universe is barely recognizable; one was a commercial success, while the other was a flop.
The 29-year-old defendant, from The Hollies, Egremont, admitted four offences: dangerous driving, driving while over the limit for cocaine, driving while disqualified and driving while having no valid insurance.
Thirty-eight percent of Gen Z consumers admitted to looking at their phone more frequently while behind the wheel; 34% of Gen Z drivers video chatted while driving and 24% of Gen Z and 23% of Millennials used or checked social media while driving.
While she thought this was fine earlier on while they were still seeing each other, now that it is still happening even after she tried to end things, it is making her feel super uncomfortable while she’s working.
Characters can run while exploring now, but you can turn off this buff at any time while navigating dangerous dungeons or while sneaking.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been seen wearing a mask while visiting a hospital, while Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden also wore one while attending a gallery this week.
He said that while four others were kidnapped on Friday, while 17 members of the same family were abducted on Saturday morning while they were going to their farm.
While the Zombies formula has been used for a while, many players may be interested to see the Cold War-inspired spin this game takes while pitting the player against a zombie horde.
Out of the Cox Plate, Tommy Berry received a reprimand for cutting off Castelvecchio while riding Kluger, while Kerrin McEvoy was given a warning for taking the run of Verry Elleegant while riding Avilius.
Still, while we’re already giving thanks for the many blessings in our lives, we might as well give thanks that those toe-curling mistakes — while definitely sometimes beneficial and educational — only happen once in a while.
They’ve followed her while running errands to Trader Joes food market, while heading to a yoga session, and while trying to attend church services.
I lived at home while attending the University of Western Australia in Perth, while doing a gap year and – partly – while attending the academy of performing arts on the other side of town.
Now this isn’t a completely fair comparison for a second reason — the EV is perhaps 80% efficient while discharging, while the car is about 30% efficient on a good day while burning the fuel.
In 1970, while couch surfing at Steve Crocker 's home while attending a conference, Metcalf picked up a copy Proceedings of the Fall Joint Computer Conference off the table with the aim of falling asleep while reading it.
I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element, I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.
Additionally, while Roman was known to toy with Sidney in -- namely by pretending to be their mother speaking from a body bag -- he did this while he had a home-court advantage and an easy means of escape.
A dog walker checks a mobile device while guiding dogs to take advantage of temperatures near 60 degrees Fahrenheit while passing by an ice-covered lake in Washington Park Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in Denver.
All the while, Andrew was clinging to honours and titles allowing him to claim to represent millions of people, while hiding on the royal estates, hiding from accountability, hiding from criminal charges.
Common combinations with while
These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:
- while the 38×
- and while 15×
- while also 14×
- while she 12×
- while in 10×
- while it 10×
- for while 9×
- while at 9×
- that while 8×
- while there 7×