all the while

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Adverb

all the while

1. (idiomatic) At the same time as, usually over an extended period.

   Synonym: the while

   • 1889, Leslie Stephen, Dictionary of National Biography, page 82:

     The good fortune which attended him throughout life may have been partly owing to this cause as well as to his undoubted valour, for though he never lost a battle, nothing is more astounding than his imprudence and the easy confidence with which he trusted Somerset, Warwick, Montague, and others, all the while they were betraying him.

   • 1891, Plutarchus, Plutarch's Lives, page 8:

     Sulla, encamped near Scipio, and amusing him with caresses under pretence of an approaching peace, was all the while corrupting his troops.

   • 1986, Michael Dibdin, A Rich Full Death, page 60:

     And all with that vital piece of evidence burning a hole in his pocket the while!

   • 1991, Anne Rice, The Witching Hour, page 281:

     All the while, my intention was to amuse her, and divert her out of her hellish thoughts, and show to her the wide world of which she could now be a part.

Usage notes

• Frequently used to indicate that deception was occurring during the period at issue.

Translations

at the same time as

• Hungarian: mindvégig (hu), egész idő alatt
• Swedish: alltmedan