Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

meantime

/ˈmiːntaɪm/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.04 in modern English

Syllables: mean-time
IPA: /ˈmiːntaɪm/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The time spent waiting for another event; time in between.

Countable; Uncountable

adv

During the interval; meanwhile.

Example Sentences

"We'll come back asap; just wait here for the meantime."
"Repairs will be done tomorrow so meantime restrain from using the bath."
"Meantime Pope Urban II convoked two councils, one after another."
"Lunch will be in twenty minutes. Meantime: I have[…]"
"Meantime, the train went on to Brighton without further incident. No small stir was caused by its arrival with No. 61 at its head, resplendent with "East London Line Special" head boards, which at once caught the eye of William Stroudley, who was observing the traffic working from his office window."

Etymology

From Middle English menetime, equivalent to mean + time. Adverb is by ellipsis from in the meantime.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: menetime

Usage

Inflected Forms

meantimes (plural) mean time (alternative)

Phrases

for the mean time for the meantime in mean time in meantime in the mean time in the meantime this mean time this meantime

Frequently Paired Words

meanwhile

Synonyms

between-time meanwhile in the meantime interim lag

Questions

How do you pronounce meantime?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmiːntaɪm/.
What does meantime mean?: The time spent waiting for another event; time in between.
Where does meantime come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce meantime

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “meantime”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmiːntaɪm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “meantime”.
Repeat and practice — Say “meantime” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.