Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: hwil

while

2 noun
     
while2 S1 W2
1

a while

a period of time, especially a short one:
It takes a while to recover from the operation.
in a while
Mr Thomas will be with you in a while.
for a while
At last, he could relax for a while.
a little/short while
Wait a little while before deciding.
We talked for quite a while (=a fairly long time) on the phone.
2

all the while

all the time that something is happening:
He examined her thoroughly, talking softly all the while.
She continued working, all the while keeping an eye on the clock.

➔ (every) once in a while

at once1 (8)

; ➔ be worth somebody's while (to do/doing something)

at worth1 (5)

; ➔ make it worth somebody's while

at worth1 (6)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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