Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Until
Un-til′
,p
rep.
1.
To; unto; towards; – used of material objects.
Chaucer.
Taverners
until
them told the same. Piers Plowman.
He roused himself full blithe, and hastened them
until
. Spenser.
2.
To; up to; till; before; – used of time;
as, he staid
. until
evening; he will not come back until
the end of the monthHe and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan
until
the day of the captivity. Judg. xviii. 30.
☞ In contracts and like documents until is construed as exclusive of the date mentioned unless it was the manifest intent of the parties to include it.
Un-til′
,c
onj.
As far as; to the place or degree that; especially, up to the time that; till. See
Till
, c
onj.
In open prospect nothing bounds our eye,
Until
the earth seems joined unto the sky. Dryden.
But the rest of the dead lives not again
until
the thousand years were finished. Rev. xx. 5.
Webster 1828 Edition
Until
UNTIL'
, prep. [un and till. See Till.]1.
To; used of time.He and his sons were priests of the tribe of Dan, until the day of the captivity. Judges 18.
2.
To; used of objects. Obs.3.
Preceding a sentence or clause, to; that is, to the event mentioned, or the time of it; as, until this hour; until this year.The scepter shall not depart from Judah - until Shiloh come. Gen. 49.
4.
To the point or place of.In open prospect nothing bounds our eye,
Until the earth seems join'd unto the sky.
5.
To the degree that.Thou shalt push Syria, until they be consumed. 2Chron. 18.
[Note. Until is always the same part of speech in fact, and has the same signification. The only difference is, that it is followed sometimes by a single word denoting time, and in other cases by a verb denoting an event, or a word denoting place or degree. The sense is in all cases to; and till may be used as its substitute, and in modern usage it is most common.]
Definition 2024
until
until
English
Preposition
until
- Up to the time of (something happening).
- 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:
- Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. When a series of bank failures made this impossible, there was widespread anger, leading to the public humiliation of symbolic figures.
-
- Before (a time).
- 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, in The Celebrity:
- I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.
- 2013 June 21, Chico Harlan, “Japan pockets the subsidy …”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 30:
- Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels. Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion."
-
- (obsolete) To; physically towards.
- Spenser
- He roused himself full blithe, and hastened them until.
- Spenser
Usage notes
It is typically assumed that circumstances have changed or could change at the referenced time. For instance, “All has gone well until now” implies that the current situation may not be so good.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
up to the time of
|
|
before
Conjunction
until
- Up to the time that (a condition becomes true).
- 1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., OCLC 580270828:
- It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. […]. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.
- 2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:
- Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.
- 1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., OCLC 580270828:
- Before (a condition becoming true).
- 1915, George A. Birmingham, “chapter I”, in Gossamer (Project Gutenberg; EBook #24394), London: Methuen & Co., published 8 January 2013 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 558189256:
- It is never possible to settle down to the ordinary routine of life at sea until the **** begins to revolve. There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.
-
Synonyms
Translations
up to the time that
|
before