awhile
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
for a short time.
for a short, indefinite period of time.
Simple“We sat on the park bench and rested awhile before continuing our walk.”
In context“After the presentation concluded, the delegates lingered awhile in the lobby to discuss the implications of the new policy.”
UsageFunctions as an adverb; it should not follow a preposition like 'for' or 'in'.
PitfallI am going to stay for awhile. I am going to stay awhile.The word 'awhile' is an adverb that already includes the meaning of 'for'. If you use the preposition 'for', you must use the two-word noun phrase 'a while'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
during an ongoing process or while waiting for something else to happen.
occurring during an implicit or explicit ongoing process; used to indicate an interim action.
Simple“The main course is still cooking, so have some snacks awhile.”
In context“The technician is rebooting the server; you might as well check your physical mail awhile.”
Teacher's tipThis specific usage is largely restricted to certain American regional dialects (such as in Pennsylvania) and may sound non-standard to other English speakers.
From Old English ane (“(for) a”) hwile (“while”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.