Meanwhile means at the same time: while one thing is happening, something else is happening too. Its second meaning is used to compare two situations and highlight the difference between them. In this meaning, the word works well in essays: Prices are rising. Meanwhile, salaries have hardly changed.
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Sentence. Meanwhile, + sentence; clause; meanwhile, + clause; in the meantime (= until then)
- The city spent millions on new roads. Meanwhile, public transport received almost no funding.
- The train was delayed by an hour; meanwhile, we had coffee in the station café.
- I'll start cooking. Meanwhile, could you set the table and open the wine?
What changed
First versionI was cooking dinner meanwhile my husband was washing the car.
RevisionI was cooking dinner while my husband was washing the car.
“Meanwhile” is often put in place of “while” to join two actions in one sentence. But “meanwhile” is not a conjunction: it starts a new sentence or comes after a semicolon. To link two actions within one sentence, you need “while”.
“In the meantime” also refers to time, but it usually means “until then”: the time before something happens, while you are waiting for it. My new laptop arrives on Friday. In the meantime, I'm using my old one. “In the meantime” cannot be used to compare two situations; only “meanwhile” works there.
Your turn
The children were playing in the garden. ___, their parents were preparing lunch in the kitchen.
Show the answer
Meanwhile — The gap is at the start of a new sentence, with a comma after it. That is how “meanwhile” behaves. “While” joins two parts of one sentence and does not need a comma after it: The children were playing while their parents were preparing lunch.
Describe a typical morning at home or in the office. Say what you are doing and, after Meanwhile, what someone else is doing at the same time.
I usually make breakfast and pack lunch for the kids. Meanwhile, my husband drives to the gym for an early workout.
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