DictionaryAI

meantime

MEEN-tym/ˈmiːntaɪm/

Pluralmeantimes

2 meanings of meantime

Practice

  1. 1
    nouncountable or uncountable
    The time you spend waiting before something else happens.

    Like the wait between ordering your food and the food arriving at your table.

    The movie starts at eight, so in the meantime we can get something to eat.

    Our train leaves in an hour. In the meantime, let's find a place to sit.

    Similarinterim, interval, meanwhile

    Note
  2. 2
    adverb
    During the time before another thing happens.

    Dinner will be ready soon. Meantime, you can set the table.

    Our flight was delayed two hours. Meantime, we walked around the airport shops.

    Similarmeanwhile

    Note

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Origin

From Middle English menetime, made from "mean" plus "time." The adverb is a shortened form of "in the meantime."