awhile

(ə-hwīl', ə-wīl')
adv.
For a short time.

USAGE NOTE   Awhile, an adverb, is never preceded by a preposition such as for, but the two-word form a while may be preceded by a preposition. In writing, each of the following is acceptable: stay awhile; stay for a while; stay a while (but not stay for awhile).

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Both expressions have the same origin in the word while, but it should be noted that awhile is strictly adverbial whereas a while is a noun phrase (very often preceded by for):

When he reached the street-sign he stopped awhile and stood beneath it—Colin Dexter, 1983

I'm going away for a while—B. Neil, 1993.

Confusion is aggravated by the fact that a while, although a noun phrase, can also have a semi-adverbial function: We had to wait a long while [= for a long while].

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IN BRIEF: For a short time.

Everyone sings the song of life off-key every once in awhile.

Tutor's tip: You may want to visit with someone for "awhile" (a short time) if you haven't seen him or her in "a while" (indefinite period of time).

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For a list of words related to awhile, see:

• Periods of Time - awhile: (adv) for a short time

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See words rhyming with "awhile."

Dansk (Danish)
adv. - et øjeblik, en stund, et lille stykke tid

Nederlands (Dutch)
voor een tijdje, (nog) even

Français (French)
adv. - un moment, un instant, (pendant) quelque temps

Deutsch (German)
adv. - kurz, eine Zeitlang

Ελληνική (Greek)
adv. - για λίγο, πρόσκαιρα

Italiano (Italian)
un po', per un attimo

Português (Portuguese)
adv. - por enquanto, por pouco tempo, um pouco

Русский (Russian)
недолго, на короткое время

Español (Spanish)
adv. - un momento, un rato

Svenska (Swedish)
adv. - en stund, en tid

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
片刻, 一会儿

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adv. - 片刻, 一會兒

한국어 (Korean)
adv. - 잠깐

日本語 (Japanese)
adv. - ちょっと, 暫く

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(ظرف) لحظه, فتره قصيره‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adv. - ‮לזמן-מה, לרגע‬

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