Word.ws English Dictionary

the whole while

the whole while noun: always; constantly, all the time; (for) the complete duration.

Noun

the whole while (uncountable)

  1. Always; constantly, all the time; (for) the complete duration.
    • I now realise, after years as a minister, that what I have been the whole while was a sort of semi-socialist. Now I realise that we've got to try to hand back more decisions to the people. When he came into office in 1970, Mr Heath seemed […]1975, The Listener
    • A high hot color has risen into her cheeks. “Mr. Lamb—do you, would you—could you mind him while I take Jeremy to Dr. Faber's?” She says this, Norris thinks, as though he has not been here the whole while, listening to matters develop.1999, Carrie Brown, Lamb in Love: A Novel, Algonquin Books, →ISBN, page 193

Examples of the whole while in a sentence

  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:the whole while.
  • "Anyway, after fifty years, what's a few more months?" "So you've been here the whole while?2000, Leo Frankowski, The Fata Morgana, Baen Publishing Enterprises, →ISBN:
  • Maybe he had just wandered by at the right time . . . or maybe he had been here the whole while, watching.2012, Ginny Powers, The Legend of Black Lake, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 103:

Questions about the whole while

What does the whole while mean?
The whole while means always; constantly, all the time; (for) the complete duration.
How do you use the whole while in a sentence?
For quotations using this term, see Citations:the whole while.
What part of speech is the whole while?
The whole while is a noun.

Words near the whole while in the dictionary

  1. the whole bang shoot
  2. the whole caboodle
  3. the whole nine miles
  4. the whole nine yards
  5. the whole shop
  6. the whole while
  7. the whole world
  8. the whole world and his dog
  9. the winner takes it all
  10. the wolf is at the door
  11. the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: the whole while (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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