# until

/ənˈtɪɫ/ (US) · /ʌntˈɪl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/until
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. up to a time

preposition · CEFR A1

up to a specific time or event.

For teachers: indicating the end point of a continuous period or state.

- We played outside until it got dark and our parents called us in.
- The shop will remain closed for renovations until next Monday, at which point regular business hours will resume.

Usage: Followed by a noun phrase representing a point in time.

### 2. up to the time that

conjunction · CEFR A1

up to the moment that something happens.

For teachers: introducing a subordinate clause that functions as a temporal boundary for the main clause.

- Please stay in your seats until the plane has come to a complete stop.
- The researchers continued to monitor the chemical reaction until the solution reached a stable temperature and changed colour.

Usage: Followed by a clause; the present simple is typically used for future reference.

### 3. not before

preposition · CEFR B1

used with 'not' to mean that something happens at a specific time and no earlier.

For teachers: used in negative constructions to indicate that an event does not occur before a specific time.

- The results of the test won't be ready until tomorrow morning.
- The board of directors decided that the official announcement would not be released until all shareholders had been personally notified.

Teaching tip: Learners often confuse 'until' with 'by'. Use 'until' for a continuous state that stops, and 'by' for a single action that happens before a deadline.

## Examples

- The shop is open until nine tonight.
- We waited at the station until the last train arrived at midnight.
- The researchers continued their observations until the battery on the remote sensor finally failed, providing them with three months of uninterrupted data.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.