What does meantime mean?
“Meantime” means at the same time as something else, or during the period before another event takes place. Its familiar use is in the expression “in the meantime,” which introduces an activity or circumstance occurring while one waits for a later event. For example, if a report will not be ready until afternoon, one might say that other work can continue in the meantime. The word is useful because it links two points in time without requiring a full clause beginning with “while.” Although it is closely related in meaning to “meanwhile,” “meantime” is especially idiomatic in the fixed phrase “in the meantime.” It is used naturally in both British and American English and carries no strongly formal or informal restriction.
At the same time as something else happens, or during the period before a later event.
"In the meantime, please continue working on the other tasks."
Usually appears in the fixed phrases “in the meantime” and “for the meantime.”
The period of time between one event and another.
"The report was delayed, but in the meantime we gathered more information."
The noun is now uncommon and is normally used with “the,” especially in “in the meantime.”
“In the meantime” is the time-bridging phrase for saying: something else is happening now, but the main event has not arrived yet.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does meantime come from?
“Meantime” is a compound formed from “mean” and “time,” developed in English in the late medieval period. Its familiar expression “in the meantime” originally referred to the interval between one event and another and gradually came to mean “during that interval.” The word belongs to a wider family of English terms associated with time, including “timely,” “timeless,” and “timing.”
How meantime is actually used
The expression is standard in formal and informal English, but “in the meantime” is much more common than the unaccompanied adverb. “Meanwhile” is often preferred when the contrast or simultaneity is especially clear.
Easily confused with meantime
“Meanwhile” usually means “at the same time as” or “during that period,” whereas “meantime” is chiefly used in the fixed phrase “in the meantime.”