until

[ uhn-til ]

conjunction

1. up to the time that or when; till:

   He read until his guests arrived.

2. before (usually used in negative constructions):

   They did not come until the meeting was half over.

preposition

1. onward to or till (a specified time or occurrence):

   She worked until 6 p.m.

2. before (usually used in negative constructions):

   He did not go until night.

3. Scot. and North England. to; unto.

until

/ ʌnˈtɪl /

conjunction

1. up to (a time) that

   he laughed until he cried

2. used with a negative before (a time or event)

   until you change, you can't go out

preposition

1. often preceded by up in or throughout the period before

   he waited until six

2. used with a negative earlier than; before

   he won't come until tomorrow

Usage

The use of until such time as (as in industrial action will continue until such time as our demands are met ) is unnecessary and should be avoided: industrial action will continue until our demands are met

Confusables Note

See till ¹.

Word History and Origins

Origin of until¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English untill, from un- (from Old Norse unz “up to, as far as”) + till till ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of until¹

C13 untill; related to Old High German unt unto, until, Old Norse und; see till ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see put off until tomorrow ; talk one's arm off (until blue in the face) . Also see under till .

Example Sentences

In a step-by-step process, it can be used to identify deviations from the desired target function and adjust the parameters until the optimal result is achieved.

From Science Daily

"We improve the arrangement of the amino acids in several iterations until the new protein is very close to the desired structure," says Christopher Frank.

From Science Daily

"The most surprising finding here isn't that male and female mice sleep differently. It's that no one has thoroughly shown this until now," said Rowe.

From Science Daily

Until now, Russian President Vladimir Putin had been the only major world leader for whom the court had issued an arrest warrant.

From Los Angeles Times

A California appeals court said Wednesday that the county watchdog cannot force Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies to reveal suspected deputy gang tattoos or to answer questions about the inked groups – at least not until the county has bargained with the deputies’ labor unions.

From Los Angeles Times