: the time before something happens or before a specified period ends
The new computers won't arrive until next week, but we can continue to use the old ones in the meantime.
: meanwhile entry 2
meantime he had been attentive to his other interests—
H. R. Warfel
H. R. Warfel
: time that is based on the motion of the theoretical mean sun
To find local mean time, determine how many degrees of longitude you are from your time-zone standard. (Find your longitude on a map.) Multiply this number by four to get your correction in minutes. If you are east of the standard longitude your correction is a positive number; if you are west it is negative. Apply the correction to standard time to get your local mean time.—Sky & Telescope
Sky & Telescopecalled also mean solar time
Examples of meantime in a Sentence
Adverb
He can come back to work when he's feeling better. Meantime, he should be resting as much as possible.
Recent Examples on the WebMark Faithfull, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
But an emergency cut in the meantime is unlikely: The Fed has taken such drastic action only a few times in its history — and only in the most dire of economic moments.
—Joel Mathis, theweek, 12 Aug. 2024
Tim Chan, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024
The ball return track, meantime, snaps together in seconds.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
Dave Link, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
In the mean time, Szczygielski was forced to tear down the house, after discovering issues with asbestos and a bee infestation.
—Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for meantime 
Noun
But red tape means that builders are unlikely to start on site for at least another year and joint venture landlords Ballymore and Hammerson, plus the local civic authorities are all supportive of Boxpark continuing to trade in the meantime.
—Mark Faithfull, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
But an emergency cut in the meantime is unlikely: The Fed has taken such drastic action only a few times in its history — and only in the most dire of economic moments.
—Joel Mathis, theweek, 12 Aug. 2024
Adverb
The scents used by the brand, meantime, are reminiscent of boutique colognes and eau de parfums, all responsibly-sourced and containing natural ingredients and essential oils.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024
The ball return track, meantime, snaps together in seconds.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024
Noun
When issues arise, generative AI quickly identifies the root cause and suggests predefined automation procedures for remediation, reducing mean time to recovery (MTTR).
—Dave Link, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
In the mean time, Szczygielski was forced to tear down the house, after discovering issues with asbestos and a bee infestation.
—Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for meantime
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'meantime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Meantime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meantime. Accessed 17 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
meantime
1 of 2 noun
mean·time
ˈmēn-ˌtīm 
: the time between two events
meantime
2 of 2 adverb
: in the meantime
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