awhile

[ uh-hwahyl, uh-wahyl ]

adverb

1. for a short time or period:

   Stay awhile.

awhile

/ əˈwaɪl /

adverb

1. for a brief period

Spelling Note

The adverb awhile is spelled as a single word: After stopping in Hadley awhile, we drove to Deerfield. As the object of a preposition, the noun phrase a while is used, especially in edited writing, but the single-word form is becoming increasingly common: We rested for a while (or awhile ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of awhile¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English āne hwīle (dative); a ¹, while

Example Sentences

Movies in black and white and stories from Bob Costas get old after awhile.

From Los Angeles Times

“These stories are not new. This has been going on since the beginning of time. But it’s getting the attention it deserves now, and it took awhile,” Hargitay told USA Today in 2019.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s been awhile,” Park said when asked to name the last time the school won a section title.

From Los Angeles Times

It wasn’t until awhile after he finished, Dukic wrote, that he realized his brother hadn’t come in from the lake.

From Los Angeles Times

Unlike those guys, however, Kaepernick has been away from the game for quite awhile.

From Los Angeles Times