Word a Day
meanwhile
What does meanwhile mean?
meanwhile (adverb): during the time that something is happening, often specifically in a different place.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you pronounce meanwhile?
/ˈminˌwaɪl/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does meanwhile come from?
From Middle English menewhile, equivalent to mean (“intermediate”) + while.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “meanwhile”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “meanwhile” mean?
in a direction from lower to higher; toward a higher place; in a course toward the source or origin
Not quite: that's what upward means.
toward a lower level, whether in physical space, in a hierarchy, or in amount or value
Not quite: that's what downward means.
in one way or another; in a way not yet known or explained; by some means
Not quite: that's what somehow means.
during the time that something is happening, often specifically in a different place
Right! That's what “meanwhile” means.
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