in the meantime
545
2.8
- idiom
:
mientras tanto
- The new system will launch soon, but in the meantime, we need to stick with the old one.
- in the meantime, go
- in the meantime, however
But in the meantime, evil forces may take over.
- But in the meantime, evil forces may take over.
- Find your happiness in the meantime, work on you in the meantime.
- Now what they do in the meantime, there should have been a negotiation.
- So, you know, I'm down for it, but in the meantime, I'm going to finish this bowl.
- But their life is very full, so in the meantime, they're just doing their thing.
- And in the meantime, it feels like life is on hold.
- And in the meantime, she actually finishes the book.
- And in the meantime, I wish you the best and I'll be back.
- Go ahead, let McDonald's hire robots, but let's in the meantime teach people how to actually make money.
- How should they find one and what should they be doing in the meantime when there's no active leads?
- Can we have a little fun please, too, in the meantime?
- Yeah, and you might have to do some shit in the meantime.
- And also, like, keeping guys from sin in the meantime.
Examples
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In the meantime, I don't have anything planned.
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Well, I know, darling, but what are we gonna do in the meantime?
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But in the meantime, evil forces may take over.
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And in the meantime, it feels like life is on hold.
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I hope nothing happens in the meantime.
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In the meantime, we will make the river work for us.
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In the meantime, we'll have some fun.
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In the meantime, officials also started questioning the legal status of the disputed sources.
Academic text (2017) -
In the meantime, shred any documents associated with the shoot.
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In the meantime, thank you for sitting in as my paralegal.
Synonyms
∞
1.6
While something else is happening
58
3.0
During the time between two events
For a short time until a permanent one takes over
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'during the period between two events' is directly and compositionally derived from in (within) + the (definite article) + meantime (the intervening time); the phrase functions like a simple prepositional/adverbial combination equivalent to 'meanwhile'. This construction is cross-linguistically common and follows transparent semantic composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
The phrase in the meantime paints a simple picture: imagine two events and the clock time that sits between them, the middle time called the meantime. So in the meantime means 'during the period between two events'.