[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/awhile/)

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# awhile

adverb (also spelt «a while»)

«awhile» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

Awhile means for a short time: wait awhile. After a word like «after» or «for», we write «a while» as two words. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/awhile/#m1)

### In the lessons

in stories a character pauses or rests for a short time before the next action.

### Examples

- After awhile he begins to totter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/awhile/#x1)
- The priest reflected awhile; then he replied. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/awhile/#x2)
- After talking awhile, they lay down to sleep. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/awhile/#x3)

### Note

nothing for maths; it names a short time, not an amount of things.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «awhile» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/awhile/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«awhile» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/awhile.html) on Mova free.