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until

[ uhn-til ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

conjunction

up to the time that or when; till:
He read until his guests arrived.
before (usually used in negative constructions):
They did not come until the meeting was half over.

preposition

onward to or till (a specified time or occurrence):
She worked until 6 p.m.
before (usually used in negative constructions):
He did not go until night.
Scot. and North England. to; unto.

until

/ ʌ��ˈ��ɪ�� /

conjunction

up to (a time) that
he laughed until he cried
used with a negative before (a time or event)
until you change, you can't go out

preposition

often preceded by up in or throughout the period before
he waited until six
used with a negative earlier than; before
he won't come until tomorrow

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Usage

The use of until such time as (as in industrial action will continue until such time as our demands are met ) is unnecessary and should be avoided: industrial action will continue until our demands are met

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Confusables Note

See till ¹.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of until¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English untill, from un- (from Old Norse unz “up to, as far as”) + till till ¹

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Word History and Origins

Origin of until¹

C13 untill; related to Old High German unt unto, until, Old Norse und; see till ¹

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Idioms and Phrases

see put off until tomorrow ; talk one's arm off (until blue in the face) . Also see under till .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“We are going to be paying hundreds of millions of dollars that could be invested into the communities, into parks, libraries, beaches, public social services, until 2050,” said L.A.

From

The uncertainty around the campaign lasted into the new year, until a surprising twist in January.

From

However, the case of Rancho Izaguirre did not explode into the public realm until last month, when a group of civilian searchers seeking traces of the disappeared entered the site and said they had found human remains and abandoned belongings.

From

She was was married to Irving from 1947 until his death in 1979, moving out west with him after the war.

From

The deal, which runs until the end of 2030 allows customers of 30 banks and building societies to use their local post office to withdraw and deposit cash, make balance queries and deposit cheques.

From

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

untie untimely

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