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As virtuous men pass mildly away, and whisper to their souls to go, whilst some of their sad friends do say, the breath goes now, and some say no.
John Donne

Meaning of "whilst" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WHILST

From whiles + -t as in amidst.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF WHILST

whilst  [waɪlst] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WHILST

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Whilst is a conjunction.
The conjunction is an invariable grammatical category used to join together words and sentences.

WHAT DOES WHILST MEAN IN ENGLISH?

While

"While" is a word in the English language that functions both as a noun and as a subordinating conjunction. Its meaning varies largely based on its intended function, position in the phrase and even the writer or speaker's regional dialect. As a conjunction, it is synonymous with the word "whilst", a form often considered archaic in American and Canadian English, as well as in some style guides on both sides of the Atlantic.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH WHILST


Aalst
aːlst
calced
kælst
discalced
dɪsˈkælst
Holst
həʊlst
revulsed
rɪˈvʌlst
unhalsed
ʌnˈhɔːlst

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE WHILST

whigmaleery
while
while away
while-you-wait heel repairs
whilere
whiles
whilk
whilly
whillywha
whilom
whim
whim-wham
whim-whams
whimberry
whimbrel
whimmy
whimper
whimperer
whimpering
whimsical

WORDS THAT END LIKE WHILST

A list
A-list
adjust
against
alchemist
almost
artist
assist
at any cost
at least
at the earliest
at the latest
at the least
august
best
biggest
breakfast
cast
for the best
post

Synonyms and antonyms of whilst in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «whilst» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF WHILST

Find out the translation of whilst to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of whilst from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «whilst» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

mientras
570 millions of speakers

English

whilst
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

whilst
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

في حين
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

в то время как
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

enquanto
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

থাকাকালীন
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

tout
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Sementara
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

während
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

一方
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

반면
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Nalika
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

trong khi
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

அதே நேரத்தில்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

जेव्हा
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

sırasında
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

mentre
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

podczas
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

в той час як
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

în timp ce
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

ενώ
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

terwyl
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

medan
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

mens
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of whilst

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WHILST»

The term «whilst» is very widely used and occupies the 8.221 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
97
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «whilst» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of whilst
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «whilst».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WHILST» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «whilst» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «whilst» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about whilst

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «WHILST»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word whilst.
1
Mary Astell
Every one knows, that the mind will not be kept from contemplating what it loves in the midst of crowds and business. Hence come those frequent absences, so observable in conversation; for whilst the body is confined to present company, the mind is flown to that which it delights in.
2
Charles Babbage
A tool is usually more simple than a machine; it is generally used with the hand, whilst a machine is frequently moved by animal or steam power.
3
Graeme Base
Whilst I love still hiding... games and puzzles to play, I'm not as imprisoned by that need to fill every corner with detail.
4
Harold Stephen Black
The answer scrawled on a blank page in a daily newspaper, was conceived whilst aboard a ferry.
5
John Donne
As virtuous men pass mildly away, and whisper to their souls to go, whilst some of their sad friends do say, the breath goes now, and some say no.
6
Raymond E. Feist
When you talk about fantasy, the usual problem is that whilst you've got the world of imagination, there are no controlling forces.
7
Sarah Fielding
Flattery in courtship is the highest insolence, for whilst it pretends to bestow on you more than you deserve, it is watching an opportunity to take from you what you really have.
8
Jean Gabin
I don't think we should speak so much. What if we were singing a song? We split, whilst singing.
9
Rachel Griffiths
I found it an interesting portrait of a marriage in exploring notions of how one partner supports the other, whilst not jeopardizing the greater good - which is the family.
10
Honor Harger
We've been surrounded by images of space our whole lives, from the speculative images of science fiction to the inspirational visions of artists to the increasingly beautiful pictures made possible by complex technologies. But whilst we have an overwhelmingly vivid visual understanding of space, we have no sense of what space sounds like.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WHILST»

Discover the use of whilst in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to whilst and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Reshape whilst damp: prize-winning stories by women
A female students endures a series of doomed relationships and jobs to finally overturn gender stereotypes and come out on top.A house in Sussex which was once home to Virginia and Leonard Woolf, is the inspiration behind this collection of ...
Carole Buchan, 2000
2
Image in the Mirror: A Man's Personal Life's Journey Whilst ...
Image in the Mirror is Homer's story, an inspiring American tale of overcoming life's trials with hard work, dedication, and belief in one's self.
Homer S. Sewell, 2010
3
Make Do & Mend - How to Buy a Designer Handbag Whilst ...
The best guide available to keep you in credit and stay stylish. This book stops you splashing the cash.
Kate Battrick, 2007
4
Selected Writings
ON THE GRADUAL PRODUCTION OF THOUGHTS WHILST SPEAKING For Ruble von Lilienstern* If there is something you wish to know and by meditation you cannot find it, my advice to you, my ingenious old friend, is: speak about it with ...
Heinrich Von Kleist, David Constantine, 2004
5
Sporting Adventures in the Pacific, Whilst in Command of the ...
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.
W. R. Kennedy, 2011
6
Military Journal of Colonel Leslie, K H , of Balquhain: ...
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.
Charles Leslie, 2011
7
Sharpe's London Magazine of Entertainment and Instruction: ...
Let him be a forflemed man, whilst fire shall flame, whilst the grass shall spring, whilst the fir-tree grows, whilst the babe shall greet after the mother, whilst the mother shall give suck to the babe, whilst the ship shall sail, whilst the shield shall ...
‎1847
8
An Epistle to William Hogarth: By C. Churchill
Whilst wretched Liberty expiring lies Beneath the fatal burthen of Excise; Whilst nobles act, without one touch of shame, What men of humble rank would blusti to name 4 Whilst Honour's plac'd in highest point of view, Worstiipp'd by those, who  ...
Charles Churchill, 1763
9
Poems
Whilst Honour's plac'd in highest point of view, Worshipp'd by those, who Justice never knew ; Whilst Bubbles of Distinction waste in play The hours of rest, and blunder thro' the day, With dice and cards opprobrious vigils keep, Then turn to ...
Charles Churchill, 1764
10
A collection of epigrams. to which is prefix'd a critical ...
"While, faster than his costive train indites, 175 Whilst Butler, needy wretch ! was still alive, 379 Whilst, from the tears young widows shed, 283 Whilst haughty Gallias dames, that spread,- 443 Whilst, in his double elbow chair, 1 83 Whilst, in the ...
Collection, 1735

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WHILST»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term whilst is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Luton man suffers minor burns whilst trying to extinguish fire
A LUTON man suffered minor burns to his hand whilst trying to put a fire out last night (July 23). The man, from Minorca Way, Luton, had tried to stop the fire ... «Luton On Sunday, Jul 15»
2
Family racially abused and assaulted whilst sat in traffic in Mansfield
Police are appealing for witnesses after a family reported being racially abused and assaulted whilst sat in traffic in Mansfield. The attack took place on July 10, ... «Nottingham Post, Jul 15»
3
Listening to Ta-Nehisi Coates Whilst Snuggled Deep Within My …
Lately, it has become more difficult to see in here. My intellectual wings have been chafing my third sacral vertebra. My sigmoid colon has been ... «Jezebel, Jul 15»
4
Drink driving arrests fall whilst drug driving arrests increase
During June there were 107 drink drive arrests in Cheshire, compared with 131 in June last year, whilst in Cheshire East the number of arrests dropped from 56 ... «alderleyedge.com, Jul 15»
5
Tributes to well-known grandmother who died whilst walking with …
Margaret Hepburn was with her husband Jimmy and members of a walking club she led when she was taken ill. People in her party and passersby tried to save ... «Aberdeen Press and Journal, Jul 15»
6
Nurse arrested after baby nearly dies whilst receiving 'natural …
An nurse who advised a mother to stop her baby's medication as part of a "natural treatment programme" has been arrested, it has been reported. ABC Australia ... «The Independent, Jul 15»
7
Garage owner disqualified for trading whilst insolvent
A GARAGE owner has been banned from being a director of any company for seven years for trading whilst insolvent. Russell Gwyn Williams, 61, continued ... «Barry and District News, Jul 15»
8
SEXSOMNIA: Rapist who claimed he committed offences whilst
A SCOUT leader who tried to escape rape convictions by saying he committed the offences whilst asleep has been jailed for eight years. Following a three week ... «Lancashire Telegraph, Jul 15»
9
Motorist caught using mobile phone whilst driving in Stroud
Another mobile phone use whilst driving, this time in Stroud. Hand off the wheel, head down. Thanks for the video. pic.twitter.com/pfhZ3FSb1G — Glos Road ... «Gloucester Citizen, Jul 15»
10
No earphones whilst riding in France
If you're planning a road trip to France this year, you should be aware that it is now illegal to ride or drive whilst wearing earphones. The new legislation means ... «P&H Motorcycles, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Whilst [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/whilst>. May 2024 ».
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