adverb

meanwhile

meanwhile, in the meantime

I'll do the washing-up. Meanwhile, you can dry the dishes.

I'll do the dishes. Meanwhile, you can dry them.

The flight will be announced soon. Meanwhile, let's get a coffee.

The flight will be announced soon. Meanwhile, let's get a coffee.

((sentence clause)). Meanwhile, ((sentence clause)). used to link two parallel events I'll do the washing-up. Meanwhile, you can dry the dishes.

Synonyms: in the meantime, at the same time

From 'mean' (middle, intermediate) + 'while' (a period of time). It literally means 'in the intervening time'.

Imagine you're waiting for something. What are you doing 'in the mean time'? You're doing it 'meanwhile'.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.