in the meantime
4 synonyms for in the meantime, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Phrase — During the period between now and a later event, or between two events already mentioned.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
in the interim
for now
until then
How to use in the meantime
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
in the meantime, please
but in the meantime
Neutral; equally at home in emails and speech.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between in the meantime and meanwhile?
They are near-identical, but meanwhile often means at the same time somewhere else, as in meanwhile, back at the office. In the meantime nearly always means during the wait for something specific to happen.
Is it meantime or mean time?
For this phrase it is one word: meantime. Two words, mean time, is a technical term for averaged clock time, as in Greenwich Mean Time.
Can you say in the meanwhile?
You will hear it, but it is uncommon and sounds slightly off to most speakers. Stick to in the meantime or plain meanwhile.
