whiling

Verb

while (third-person singular simple present whiles, present participle whiling, simple past and past participle whiled)

1. (in-compounds, transitive, see also while away) To pass (time) idly.
   • I whiled away the hours whilst waiting for him to arrive

   Synonyms:

   idle, laze, lounge

2. (transitive) To occupy or entertain (someone) in order to let time pass.
   • They whiled them with such answere as suted to their purposes, and long adoe was made in weaving and unweaving Penelopes web, till the Spanish Armada was upon the Coast, and the very Ordnance proclaimed in their eares a surcease from further illusions.1588, Samuel Purchas, Hakluytus Posthumus or, Purchas his Pilgrimes
3. (archaic, intransitive) To elapse, to pass.
   • The tedious hours whiled slowly on, 'till the succeeding afternoon, when the expected carriage made its appearance much sooner than they had promised themselves.1764, Mrs. Gunning (Susannah), Family Pictures, a Novel. Containing Curious and Interesting Memoirs of Several Persons of Fashion in W-----re, page 115

See all 12 meanings of while