till
- 01 A2 Elementary
prep.up to a certain time.
prep.up to the time of; used to indicate the end of a period of time.
Simple“We waited at the station till the last train arrived at midnight.”
In context“The negotiations continued late into the evening, with neither side willing to compromise till the mediator suggested a break.”
PitfallI will stay till the Monday. I will stay till Monday.Do not use 'the' before days of the week when using 'till' to show a deadline.
- 02 A2 Elementary
conj.up to the time when something happens.
conj.up to the time that; used to connect a main clause to a subordinate clause of time.
Simple“Don't open the oven door till the cake is finished baking.”
In context“The researchers monitored the chemical reaction closely till the solution finally changed from clear to a deep crimson.”
Synonyms - 03 B1 Intermediate
n.the machine or drawer in a shop where money is kept.
n.a cash register or the drawer within it used for storing money from transactions.
Simple“The shop assistant put the twenty-pound note into the till and gave me change.”
In context“At the end of the shift, the manager counted the contents of the till to ensure the receipts matched the physical cash.”
Synonymscash registercheckout - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to prepare land for growing crops by turning the soil.
v.to prepare and cultivate land for crops by ploughing or harrowing.
Simple“The farmers began to till the fields as soon as the ground thawed.”
In context“Generations of families have tilled this rocky soil, struggling to produce a harvest against the harsh coastal winds.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
n.a mix of rocks, clay, and sand left behind by a glacier.
n.unsorted glacial sediment consisting of a mixture of clay, sand, pebbles, and boulders.
Simple“The melting ice left behind a thick layer of till across the valley.”
In context“Geologists analysed the composition of the glacial till to determine the direction of the ice sheet's movement during the last ice age.”
UsageUsually functions as an uncountable noun in geological contexts.
* As an English surname, reduced from a pet form of Matilda. * As a north German surname, spelling variant of Thiel.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.