UNTIL Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

until

[ uhn-til ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

conjunction

up to the time that or when; till:
He read until his guests arrived.
before (usually used in negative constructions):
They did not come until the meeting was half over.

preposition

onward to or till (a specified time or occurrence):
She worked until 6 p.m.
before (usually used in negative constructions):
He did not go until night.
Scot. and North England. to; unto.

until

/ ʌ��ˈ��ɪ�� /

conjunction

up to (a time) that
he laughed until he cried
used with a negative before (a time or event)
until you change, you can't go out

preposition

often preceded by up in or throughout the period before
he waited until six
used with a negative earlier than; before
he won't come until tomorrow

Discover More

Usage

The use of until such time as (as in industrial action will continue until such time as our demands are met ) is unnecessary and should be avoided: industrial action will continue until our demands are met

Discover More

Confusables Note

See till ¹.

Discover More

51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of until¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English untill, from un- (from Old Norse unz “up to, as far as”) + till till ¹

Discover More

51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of until¹

C13 untill; related to Old High German unt unto, until, Old Norse und; see till ¹

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

see put off until tomorrow ; talk one's arm off (until blue in the face) . Also see under till .

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

A deadline was set for Jan. 19, and the app went dark for a few hours before Trump stepped in, signing an executive order Jan. 20 to keep TikTok operating for 75 days, until April 5.

From

That is, until the creature, whose healing powers work on itself too, comes back to life and starts kicking the hell out of their car.

From

Litigation on the issue has raged on for decades, but the Supreme Court didn’t take up the question of the meaning of the choice-of-provider statute until the new conservative supermajority took shape.

From

As prestigious as Fifa president Gianni Infantino says the Club World Cup is, that would surely be a more fitting City farewell for De Bruyne - at least until he returns for the unveiling of the statue Guardiola believes is certain to be commissioned in his honour.

From

Still, these tough-looking kids abide by a principle of nonviolence — until they decide they’re so sick of getting attacked by neo-Nazis that they’re willing to fight back.

From

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Browse