While Away

B1 8+

Pronunciation: /waɪl əˈweɪ/

Definitions of while away

verb to spend time idly or aimlessly

Example Sentences

A1 I like to while away my free time by reading books.

A2 She whiles away the hours by painting landscapes.

B1 He whiled away the afternoon watching movies.

B2 We whiled away the long train journey by playing card games.

C1 The author whiles away at his desk, working on his next novel.

C2 Despite his busy schedule, he always finds time to while away with his favorite hobby.

adverb in a manner that involves spending time idly or aimlessly

Example Sentences

A1 I like to while away the hours reading books.

A2 She whiles away her weekends by going hiking.

B1 The children whiled away the time playing games in the garden.

B2 He whiled away the long train journey by listening to music.

C1 They while away their evenings discussing philosophy and politics.

C2 She whiles away the summer months traveling to exotic destinations.

Examples of while away in a Sentence

formal She decided to while away the afternoon by reading a classic novel.

informal Let's just while away the time by playing video games.

slang We can just chill and while away the hours at the beach.

figurative He likes to while away his troubles with a glass of wine.

Grammatical Forms of while away

past tense

whiled away

plural

while away

comparative

more while away

superlative

most while away

present tense

while away

future tense

will while away

perfect tense

have whiled away

continuous tense

is whileing away

singular

while away

positive degree

while away

infinitive

to while away

gerund

while awaying

participle

whiled away

Origin and Evolution of while away

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Middle English
Story behind the word: The phrase 'while away' originated from Middle English, where 'while' meant a period of time and 'away' meant to pass or spend time.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the phrase 'while away' has retained its original meaning of passing time in a leisurely or enjoyable manner, but it has also come to be used more broadly to describe any activity that helps pass time in a relaxed or enjoyable way.