whilst

conjunction

ˈ(h)wī(-ə)lst 

chiefly British

: while

I am writing up this part of the diary whilst I am waiting for the coach …

—Bram Stoker

… wisely decided to hold my peace, whilst Cynthia exhausted every possible hypothesis …

—Agatha Christie

… the chief difference between the "employed" and "self-employed" categories being that the former may enjoy unemployment benefit whilst the latter may not.

—Harry Calvert

Synonyms

• as
• so long as
• when
• while

Examples of whilst in a Sentence

I like to get my knitting done whilst watching the telly.

whilst a good worker, he's not a very good manager

Word History

Etymology

Middle English whilest, alteration of whiles

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

whilst

conjunction

ˈhwī(ə)lst 

ˈwī(ə)lst

chiefly British

: while entry 2