Meanings
- idiomaticAt the same time as, usually over an extended period.
And all with that vital piece of evidence burning a hole in his pocket the while!
1986, Michael Dibdin, A Rich Full Death, page 603 more examples
The good fortune which attended him throughout life may have been partly owing to this cause as well as to his undoubted valour, for though he never lost a battle, nothing is more astounding than his imprudence and the easy confidence with which he trusted Somerset, Warwick, Montague, and others, all the while they were betraying him.
1889, Leslie Stephen, Dictionary of National Biography, page 82Sulla, encamped near Scipio, and amusing him with caresses under pretence of an approaching peace, was all the while corrupting his troops.
1891, Plutarchus, Plutarch's Lives, page 8All the while, my intention was to amuse her, and divert her out of her hellish thoughts, and show to her the wide world of which she could now be a part.
1991, Anne Rice, The Witching Hour, page 281Synonyms: the while
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbAt the same time as, usually over an extended period.
Translations
Hungarian mindvégig, egész idő alatt
- mindvégigat the same time as
- egész idő alattat the same time as
Swedish alltmedan
- alltmedanat the same time as
Cite this entry
all the while. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/all%20the%20while
“all the while.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/all%20the%20while. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “all the while,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/all%20the%20while.
Source: all the while on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.