Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: For A While |
For A WhileAdverb1. For a short time; "sit down and stay awhile"; "they settled awhile in Virginia before moving West"; "the baby was quiet for a while". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Synonym: For A WhileSynonym: awhile (adv). (additional references) |
Crosswords: For A While |
| English words defined with "for a while": go a long way ♦ lie low ♦ To fall away, To speak for Buncombe. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "for a while": BOROJOA PATINOI, brown-paper-bag bug ♦ drunk mouse syndrome ♦ gweep ♦ Halter ♦ IAW, Intel 8086 ♦ Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal, Rhubarb ♦ Sugar ♦ TWADDLE ♦ Visions. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | But maybe things would be better for you if I disappeared for a while. (The American President; writing credit: Aaron Sorkin.) The Rex just fed, so he won't be hunting for a while. (The Lost World: Jurassic Park; writing credit: David Koepp) and for a while there I was attracted to you. (Broadcast News; writing credit: James L. Brooks.) I've been thinking about that for a while. (As Good As It Gets; writing credit: Mark Andrus) I might just have to go back to loan-sharking for a while to get some vacation (Get Shorty; writing credit: Scott Frank. Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard.) | |
Lyrics | I've not above being cool for a while (An Innocent Man; performing artist: Billy Joel) Blinky, thumps the gut bass and solos for a while. (DOWN ON THE CORNER; performing artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival) And maybe they'd be happy for a while (American Pie; performing artist: Don McLean) Darling, rich relations for a while (Mama Can't Buy You Love; performing artist: Elton John; writing credit: Leroy Bell and Casey James) Think ill stay for a while (Promise; performing artist: Eve 6) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit |  | 8th Army in Tripoli. Journey's end, for a while. British tanks and crews line up on Tripoli's waterfront after capturing the city. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Francis Bacon | Men on their side must force themselves for a while to lay their notions by and begin to familiarize themselves with facts. |
Mignon Mclaughlin | No one really listens to anyone else, and if you try it for a while you'll see why. |
Ronald Reagan | Politics is just like show business. You have a hell of an opening, coast for a while, and then have a hell of a close. |
Sholem Asch | The sword conquered for a while, but the spirit conquers for ever! |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Marius was absent for a while from time to time |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | The tenant men stood beside the cars for a while, and then squatted on their hams and found sticks with which to mark the dust |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | Leave me alone, then, for a while. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Working together to hear better may be tough on everyone for a while. (references) | |
Focusing on music might help you forget about your tinnitus for a while. (references) | ||
Older children might stain their underwear for a while after the surgery. (references) | ||
Business | Contrary to his/her parents, who were inadequately educated, he/she has a college degree and has studied or lived for a while outside Greece. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Nellie Connally | I did for a while like a phonograph record. It just went off around again and again in my head if I was awake. Now, I have pushed it back, never to forget, but not to constantly upset me all the time. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Andrew Jackson | 1829-1837 | By persuasion and force they have been made to retire from river to river and from mountain to mountain, until some of the tribes have become extinct and others have left but remnants to preserve for a while their once terrible names. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Expressions using "for a while": alone for a while ♦ be silent for a while ♦ boil for a while ♦ feel cold for a while ♦ hang around for a while ♦ hold for a while ♦ look for a while ♦ romp around for a while ♦ stay with smb. for a while ♦ stop for a while ♦ warm oneself for a while ♦ watch for a while. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
hold me for a while | 9 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "for a while"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Bulgarian | погрявам се (warm oneself for a while), погостувам (stay with smb. for a while), погледам (look after, look for a while, take care of, watch for a while), повъртявам се (hang around for a while, rotate), повира (boil for a while), помълчавам (be silent for a while, keep silence for short time), помръзвам (be frost-bitten, feel cold for a while, freeze), позастоявам се (overstay smb.'s welcome, stop for a while), полудувам (romp around for a while). (various references) | |
Czech | držet na chvíli (hold for a while), chvíli o samotì (alone for a while). (various references) | |
Finnish | hetkeksi, aika ajoin (at intervals, at times, for some time, from time to time). (various references) | |
German | eine Zeitlang. (various references) | |
Greek | γιά λίγο (awhile). (various references) | |
Hebrew | לזמן מ" (awhile). (various references) | |
Hungarian | rövid időre (for a short time), egy idõre (pro tempore). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 一 り . (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ひとしきり. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | orfay aay ilewhay.(various references) | |
Russian | на время (pro tempore), на некоторое время (awhile). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | pričekati (hold for a while, hold on, wait). (various references) | |
Swedish | ett slag, en stund (awhile). (various references) | |
Turkish | bir süre için, bir süre (a while, awhile). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Luke Chapter 8, Verse 13 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Oi de epi thV petraV oi otan akouswsin meta caraV decontai ton logon kai outoi rizan ouk ecousin oi proV kairon pisteuousin kai en kairw peirasmou afistantai |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Nam qui supra petram qui cum audierint cum gaudio suscipiunt verbum et hii radices non habent qui ad tempus credunt et in tempore temptationis recedunt |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | þa ðe synt of er þæne stan þa þæt word mid gefean onfoð. and þa nabbað wyrtruman forþam þe hi hwilum gelyfað: and awaciað on þære costnunge timan; |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | But thei that fel on a stoon, ben these that whanne thei han herd, resseyuen the word with ioye. And these han not rootis; for at a tyme thei bileuen, and in tyme of temptacioun thei goen awei. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | They on the stonnes are they which when they heare receave the worde with ioye. But these have noo rootes which for a whyle beleve and in tyme of temtacio goo awaye. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | They on the rock are they, who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And those on the rock are those who with joy give hearing to the word; but having no root, they have faith for a time, and when the test comes they give up. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Luke Chapter 8, Verse 13 |
| Cebuano | Ug ang diha sa ibabaw sa bato mao kadto sila nga sa ilang pagkadungog sa pulong, kini ilang pagadawaton uban sa kalipay; apan sila walay gamut, sila motoo sa makadiyot, ug unya sa panahon sa pagsulay sila mobiya sa pagtoo. |
| Croatian | A na kamenu - to su oni koji kad èuju, s radošæu prime Rijeè, ali korijena nemaju: ti neko vrijeme vjeruju, a u vrijeme kušnje otpadnu. |
| Danish | Men de på Klippen ere de, som modtage Ordet med Glæde, når de høre det, og disse have ikke Rod; de tro til en Tid og falde fra i Fristelsens Tid. |
| Dutch | En die op de steenrots bezaaid worden, zijn dezen, die, wanneer zij het gehoord hebben, het Woord met vreugde ontvangen; en dezen hebben geen wortel, die maar voor een tijd geloven, en in den tijd der verzoeking wijken zij af. |
| Finnish | Ja mitkä kalliolle putosivat, ovat ne, jotka kuullessaan sanan ottavat sen ilolla vastaan, mutta joilla ei ole juurta: ainoastaan ajaksi he uskovat ja kiusauksen hetkellä luopuvat. |
| French | Ceux qui sont sur le roc, ce sont ceux qui, lorsqu`ils entendent la parole, la reçoivent avec joie; mais ils n`ont point de racine, ils croient pour un temps, et ils succombent au moment de la tentation. |
| German | Die aber auf dem Fels sind die: wenn sie es hören, nehmen sie das Wort mit Freuden an; und die haben nicht Wurzel; eine Zeitlang glauben sie, und zur Zeit der Anfechtung fallen sie ab. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Benih yang jatuh di tempat yang berbatu ibarat orang yang pada waktu mendengar kabar itu, menerimanya dengan senang hati. Tetapi berita itu tidak berakar dalam hati mereka. Mereka percaya sebentar saja, dan pada waktu cobaan datang, mereka murtad. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Dan yang di atas batu itu, ialah orang, serta mendengar, menyambut Perkataan itu dengan sukacita; maka orang itu tiada berakar; mereka itu percaya untuk seketika sahaja, dan pada masa pencobaan undurlah mereka itu. |
| Italian | Quelli sulla pietra sono coloro che, quando ascoltano, accolgono con gioia la parola, ma non hanno radice; credono per un certo tempo, ma nell'ora della tentazione vengono meno. |
| Manx Gaelic | Adsyn er y chreg, yn vooinjer, tra t'ad er chlashtyn, ta goaill y goo dy arryltagh; as cha vel fraue oc shoh, son tammylt t'ad credjal, agh ayns earish miolagh ta nyn gredjue failleil. |
| Maori | Ko era i runga i te toka ko te hunga i tango i te kupu me te hari ano i to ratou rongonga; otira kahore o ratou pakiaka, ka whakapono mo te wa poto nei, a i te wa o te whakamatautau ka taka atu. |
| Norwegian | De på stengrunn er de som tar imot ordet med glede når de hører det; men de har ikke rot; de tror til en tid, og i prøvelsens stund faller de fra. |
| Portuguese | Os que estão sobre a pedra são os que, ouvindo a palavra, a recebem com alegria; mas estes não têm raiz, apenas crêem por algum tempo, mas na hora da provação se desviam. |
| Rumanian | Cei knchipuiyi kn sqmknya cqzutq pe stkncq, sknt aceia cari, cknd aud Cuvkntul, kl primesc cu bucurie; dar n`au rqdqcinq, ci cred pknq la o vreme, iar cknd vine ispita, cad. |
| Russian | Б Х БЧЫЕЕ ОБ ЛБНЕОШ, ЬФП ФЕ, ЛПФПТЩЕ, ЛПЗ"Б ХУМЩЫБФ УМПЧП, У ТБ"ПУФША ТЙОЙНБАФ, ОП ЛПФПТЩЕ ОЕ ЙНЕАФ ЛПТОС, Й ЧТЕНЕОЕН ЧЕТХАФ, Б ЧП ЧТЕНС ЙУЛХЫЕОЙС ПФ Б"БАФ; |
| Shuar | Kayanam iniaaru tana nuka shuar antuk waras umiana nuna nakumui. Tura Nú shuar kankape Atsá asamtai, ishichik tsawantinin umikiar itiurchatan Wáinkiar Wárik kanainiawai. |
| Spanish | Los de sobre la roca son los que, cuando oyen, reciben la palabra con gozo. Pero éstos no tienen raíz; por un tiempo creen y en el tiempo de la prueba se apartan. |
| Swahili | Zile zilizoanguka penye mawe zinaonyesha watu wale ambao wanaposikia juu ya lile neno hulipokea kwa furaha. Hata hivyo, kama zile mbegu, watu hao hawana mizizi maana husadiki kwa kitambo tu, na wanapojaribiwa hukata tamaa. |
| Swedish | Och att den såddes på stengrunden det är sagt om dem, som när de få höra ordet, taga emot det med glädje, men icke hava någon rot; de tro allenast till en tid, och i frestelsens stund avfalla de. |
| Uma | "Hawua' to monawu' hi watu mpobatuai tauna to mpo'epe Lolita Alata'ala pai' ratarima hante goe' nono-ra. Mepangala' moto-ra, aga pepangala' -ra tetu uma moroho, hewa hinu'a to uma morali'. Toe pai' ane rata-damo pesori, mo'ungkere' -ramo, uma-rapa mepangala'. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-f-h-i-l-o-r-w" | |
-2 letters: airflow, airhole, flawier. | |
-3 letters: awhile, awhirl, ferial, florae, flower, foliar, fowler, hailer, holier, howler, loafer, reflow, wailer, whaler, wolfer. | |
-4 letters: afire, afore, ariel, farle, feral, feria, filar, filer, flair, flare, flier, flora, folia, frail, haler, haole, helio, hilar, horal, lifer, lower, oiler, oriel, reoil, rifle, rowel, wafer, waler, whale, wharf, wheal, while, whirl. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Images: Photo Album 6. Quotations: Familiar 7. Quotations: Fiction 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Quotations: Spoken 10. Quotations: Speeches 11. Expressions 12. Expressions: Internet | 13. Translations: Modern 14. Bible Trace 15. Anagrams 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
