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until

un-TIL/ʌnˈtɪl/

5 meanings of until

Practice

  1. 1
    up to (a time)preposition
    Up to the time of a particular point or event; after a negative, not before that time ('not until March').

    The road is closed until Monday.

    She lived in Paris until the war.

    UsageUse until for something that goes on up to a time, and by for a deadline: stay until five, finish by five.

    Note

    The word is built on till, not the other way round. Until is un- ('toward, up to') added to till, and it is perhaps a northern twin of unto. That makes till the base word rather than a shortening, so 'til with an apostrophe marks a clipping that never happened.

  2. 2
    conjunction
    Up to the time that something happens or becomes true; after a negative, not before it happens ('not until the guests arrive').

    Wait here until I come back.

    He read until his eyes hurt.

    UsageFor the future, use a present tense: wait until she comes. At the start, not until turns the order: not until then did I see.

  3. 3
    as far aspreposition
    Up to a certain place ('keep walking until the second set of traffic lights, then turn left').

    Drive until the roundabout and turn right.

    Stay on this road until the gas station, then take the next left.

    Similarto

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    prepositionobsolete
    To or towards, in space.
    He rousd himselfe full blith, and hastned them untill.
    1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene
    Note

    Here the word keeps its directional root, the un- meaning 'toward'. Spenser's 1590 line 'hastned them untill' means hastened to them, with the preposition placed after its object. Readers now meet this only in older writing.

  2. 5
    preposition
    Used without an object in notices, from a start time to an open end, often until the food or goods run out.

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English "vntil" (also "until," "untill," "ontil"), perhaps a northern variant of Middle English "unto." By surface analysis it breaks down into "un-" (against, toward, up to) plus "till."

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

  • Until derives from Middle English vntil, with alternative forms until, untill, and ontil. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Middle English word may represent a northern variant of unto. en.wiktionary.org
  • The word can be analyzed as un- meaning against, toward, or up to, plus till. en.wiktionary.org