meantime

meantime — adverb

1. in the time between two events — used at the start of a sentence to connect it t

1.adverbB1
Definition

in the time between two events — used at the start of a sentence to connect it to an earlier statement, showing that something continues or happens while you wait.

Example

The bus arrives in twenty minutes. Meantime, Yuki waited under the shelter.

sentence adverb connecting clauses

The manager was stuck in a meeting. Meantime, the delivery driver kept ringing the bell.

contrasting situations

Synonyms
  • meanwhile

    identical in meaning and use; more common in British English

  • in the meantime

    the equivalent phrase; can replace 'meantime' at the start of a sentence

Grammar Patterns

meantime + clause

Usage Note

This sense is interchangeable with 'meanwhile'. It always appears at the start of a sentence or clause and cannot be used after a preposition — that use belongs to the noun sense (in the meantime).

Common Mistakes

In the meantime, the rain stopped.
Meantime, the rain stopped.
When used as a sentence adverb without a preposition, 'meantime' alone (without 'in') is correct.

meantime — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

'Meantime' (as a sentence adverb), 'meanwhile', and 'in the meantime' all refer to a period between two events. 'Meanwhile' is the most common choice in both British and American English and works naturally in any register. 'Meantime' alone has the same meaning but is slightly less frequent; it often appears in more concise or journalistic writing. 'In the meantime' is the full prepositional phrase and feels slightly more deliberate or formal — it draws attention to the gap itself rather than just the simultaneity. For example: 'The flight was delayed. Meanwhile, we walked around the terminal' sounds natural and neutral. 'Meantime, we walked around the terminal' is more clipped. 'In the meantime, we walked around the terminal' emphasises the waiting period.

meantime ↗meanwhile ↗in the meantime

Common collocations

Phrases

  • in the meantime

Prepositions

  • in the meantime

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Meantime' is a combination of 'mean' (from Old English 'mǣne', meaning 'middle, intermediate') and 'time' (from Old English 'tīma'). It originally appeared as two words — 'mean time' — referring to an intermediate or intervening period. By the 16th century it had fused into a single word 'meantime'. The adverb use (meanwhile) developed naturally from this noun phrase. The astronomical term 'mean time' (as in Greenwich Mean Time) is a different use of 'mean' meaning 'average' and is unrelated despite the identical spelling.