while away

waɪl əˈweɪ

Definition

Definition of while away - Reverso English Dictionary

Expression

leisurespend time pleasantly, often to make waiting easier

We while away the afternoon by playing cards.
I while away my commute with podcasts and crossword clues.
They while away the delay by chatting in the departure lounge.

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Expressions with while away

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.

while away the hours

exp.

spend time doing pleasant things until time has passed

We while away the hours playing cards by the fire.

Terms with while away included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.

at a safe distance

adv.

safety

far enough away from danger while doing something or watching

house sitter

caretaker role

person who takes care of a house while the owner is away

in quarantine

adv.

isolation health

while being kept away from others for health reasons

in someone's absence

adv.

time

while a person is not present or away

flight risk

bail hearing

person likely to run away before trial or while detained

child-minding

caregiving

taking care of children while parents are away

hold down the fort

responsibility

take care of a place while others are away

cover someone's retreat

military support

protect someone while they move away from danger

View all translations of while away

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:passer le temps, ...
German:sich die Zeit vertreiben, ...
Italian:trascorrere, ...
Spanish:pasar el rato, ...
Portuguese:matar o tempo, ...
Chinese:消磨时间, ...
Japanese:時間をつぶす, ...
Arabic:يُمضِي الوَقْتَ, ...
Hebrew:לְהַעֲבִיר אֶת הַזְּמַן, ...
Russian:коротать, ...
Ukrainian:коротати, ...
Hindi:समय बिताना, ...
Bengali:সময় কাটানো, ...
Catalan:passar el temps, ...
Czech:krátit si čas, ...
Danish:fordrive, ...
Dutch:de tijd verdrijven, ...
Greek:σκοτώνω την ώρα, ...
Hungarian:elütni az időt, ...
Khmer:កំសាន្តបំបាត់ពេល, ...
Korean:시간을 보내다, ...
Persian:وقت را به سر بردن, ...
Polish:umilać sobie czas, ...
Portuguese (BR):passar o tempo, ...
Romanian:a-și petrece timpul, ...
Swedish:fördriva, ...
Thai:ฆ่าเวลา, ...
Turkish:vakit geçirmek, ...
Vietnamese:giết thời gian, ...

Browse the dictionary entries starting with “w”:

while

while at it

while away the hours

while it is true that

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Definition of while away - Reverso English Dictionary

Expression

Expressions with while away

Terms related to while away

Terms with while away included in their meaning

View all translations of while away

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery