Meanwhile: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes

Meaning 1：at the same time (meanwhile)

meanwhile 🔊

/ˈmiːnwaɪl/

adv.

In the time between two things happening, or at the same time as something else.

Illustration of meanwhile meaning: two people performing different tasks simultaneously in a home setting.

at the same time 🔊

➕

/æt ðə seɪm taɪm/

adv.

Used to indicate that something else is happening during the same period as a previously mentioned event.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Middle English 'meane whyle', combining 'mean' (middle, intervening) and 'while' (a period of time).

💡 Mnemonic

Think: "MEAN" connects two events, and a "WHILE" is a period of time. So MEANWHILE links what's happening in two places during the same time.

📖 Example

I was busy chopping vegetables for dinner, meanwhile, my roommate was setting the table. 🔊 While I was occupied with one task, my roommate was handling another concurrently.

🔗 Collocations

in the meantime – during the intervening period; meanwhile

for the moment – for the present time; temporarily

during this time – throughout this particular period

🔄 Synonyms

simultaneously (adv.) – happening or done at the same time

at the same time (phrase) – used to introduce a contrasting but related point

concurrently (adv.) – existing or happening at the same time

🚫 Antonyms

beforehand (adv.) – before an action or event; in advance

afterwards (adv.) – at a later or subsequent time

separately (adv.) – not together; as individual units or distinct occasions

🌱 Derivatives

meantime (n.) – the intervening period of time

📖 Cultural Story

Originating in Middle English, 'meanwhile' literally described the intervening period between two events. Its function as a narrative bridge, highlighting simultaneous actions, became prominent in English storytelling and journalism.