while away

while away — phrasal verb

  • while awaybase form
  • whiles away3rd person singular
  • whiling away-ing form
  • whiled awaypast simple

1. to spend a period of time doing something enjoyable and relaxing rather than bus

1.片語動詞及物B1
釋義

to spend a period of time doing something enjoyable and relaxing rather than busy or productive work

例句

Paloma whiled away the afternoon reading novels in the hammock.

while away + [time period] + [activity]

During the train journey, the children whiled away the hours playing cards and telling stories.

while away the hours + [activity]

同義詞
  • kill time

    more casual and suggests waiting with nothing productive happening; 'kill time' does not imply enjoyment

  • pass the time

    neutral and common; similar meaning but slightly less specific about the relaxed quality

  • idle away

    suggests laziness or waste; often has a slightly negative tone unlike the neutral-to-positive 'while away'

反義詞
  • work hard

    direct opposite — productive effort instead of relaxed enjoyment

  • make use of

    implies using time efficiently for a purpose

文法句型

while away + [time period]

while + [time period] + away

用法筆記

Object is always a period of time (afternoon, hours, weekend, morning, evening). The phrasal verb can be either separated ('while the hours away') or kept together ('while away the hours'). Subject is usually a person or people.

常見錯誤

❌He whiled away his homework.
✅He whiled away the afternoon doing his homework.
💡'while away' can only take a period of time as its object, never a task or piece of work.
❌She whiled away by reading.
✅She whiled away the evening by reading.
💡'while away' must be followed by a time-period object; you cannot drop it.