idiom · neutral
in the meantime
/ɪn ðə ˈmiːnˌtaɪm/in·the·MEAN·time
speakingtask2
during the time between two events or while something else is happening
Examples
“I'll start preparing lunch; in the meantime, could you wash the vegetables?”
“The new engine won't arrive for weeks; in the meantime, we must make do with the old one.”
“He applied for several jobs and, in the meantime, worked part-time.”
Band 8 sentence
“The new policy will take months to implement; in the meantime, schools should focus on supporting disadvantaged pupils.”
Collocations
- in the meantime, meanwhile
- in the meantime + clause
Word family
in the meantime idiommeanwhile adverb (close meaning)
Common mistakes
in meantime→in the meantime
mean while→meanwhile
Say it for a higher band
5meanwhile→6for now→7+in the meantime
Synonyms
meanwhile
Easily confused
for the time being
“I'll study tonight; in the meantime, you can finish the reading.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Time
Learn it with its set