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till, 'til, or 'till?
People often ask which is the correct synonym of until, till, ’til, or ’till?
Many assume that till is an abbreviated form of until. In fact, it is a distinct word that existed in English at least a century before until, both as a preposition meaning “to” and as a conjunction meaning “until.” It has seen continuous use in English since the 12th century and is a perfectly legitimate synonym of until.
’Til and ’till are much newer words, having appeared in the language only in the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively. Both are variant spellings of until and till. Writers of usage guides have roundly condemned ’till as a barbarism (apparently because it seems to have added a superfluous L to the end of until). ’Til, for its part, has been deemed inappropriate in formal writing.
In summary, until and till can be used freely and interchangeably, but you will probably want to avoid ’till and use ’til advisedly.
Synonyms
Examples of till in a Sentence
Aaron Flaum, Hartford Courant, 24 July 2024
Compact or low-fertility soil can be improved by tilling it to a depth of 8 to 12 inches and then working compost or aged manure into the top few inches.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 July 2024
Prepare the soil through core aeration or tilling 4 to 6 inches deep.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 18 July 2024
The residue can be left in place on the soil surface or tilled under, providing an abundance of organic matter for soil building.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 28 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for till 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'till.' 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
“Till.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/till. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
till
1 of 4 preposition or conjunctiontill
2 of 4 verbtill
3 of 4 nountill
4 of 4 nounPreposition or conjunction
Old English til "until"
Verb
Old English tilian "to work (land) by plowing and raising crops"
Noun
origin unknown
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