meantime
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.the period of time between now and a future event.
n.the intervening time between two events; almost exclusively used in the prepositional phrase 'in the meantime'.
Simple“The repairman will be here at three o'clock; in the meantime, let's have some tea.”
In context“The board will not reach a final decision until next month; in the meantime, the current policy remains in effect to ensure operational continuity.”
UsageAlmost always appears as 'in the meantime' to function as a transitional phrase.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adv.at the same time that something else is happening.
adv.during the intervening time or at the same time; functions as a sentence adverb to connect two simultaneous or sequential situations.
Simple“Meantime, the rest of the team was busy preparing the presentation.”
In context“The primary investigators focused on the chemical analysis; meantime, the field agents continued to gather witness testimonies across the city.”
UsageUsually placed at the beginning of a sentence to link it to the previous context.
Synonyms
“In the meantime, hundreds of families have been unable to properly cook, clean, wash or even flush their toilets.”
“But in the meantime, a man and his family are in an intolerable position.”
From Middle English menetime, equivalent to mean + time. Adverb is by ellipsis from in the meantime.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.