till
tihl
Till (prep) means Up to the time of; until. Example: “The shop is open till nine tonight.”
prep
1
Up to the time of; until.
"The shop is open till nine tonight."
"We won't know the results till next week."
"Please wait here till the doctor calls your name."
noun
1
A cash register, or the drawer inside one that holds money.
"The cashier opened the till and handed me my change."
"Someone left the till open, so the manager closed it."
"She counted the money in the till at the end of her shift."
verb
1
To prepare and cultivate land for growing crops.
"They till the soil by hand on their small family farm."
"Before sowing barley, he will till this field with a tractor."
"Farmers tilled the fields before planting the wheat."
How to use till
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMeaning "until" in time expressions, or a shop's cash register, or to plough and prepare soil — depending on context.
Common mistake
"Till" and "until" mean exactly the same thing; neither is more correct, though "until" is often preferred at the start of a sentence.
Common pairings
till the soil
raid the till
work till late
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Word forms
- Plural
- tills
- Third person singular
- tills
- Past tense
- tilled
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The shop is open _____ nine tonight.
Etymology
From Old English til, related to Old Norse til, both from a Germanic root meaning "toward" or "up to a point." It is not a shortened form of "until" — in fact "until" was built from "till."
Synonyms
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Rhymes for till
See all rhymes for till →Frequently asked questions
What does “till” mean?
The word “till” means up to the time of; until. In plain terms, meaning "until" in time expressions, or a shop's cash register, or to plough and prepare soil — depending on context.
How do you pronounce “till”?
“Till” is pronounced tihl (/tɪl/ in IPA).
How do you use “till” in a sentence?
Here is “till” used in a sentence: “The shop is open till nine tonight.”
What is another word for “till”?
Words with a similar meaning to “till” include River Till.
What part of speech is “till”?
Depending on how it is used, “till” can be a preposition, a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “till” come from?
The word “till” comes from Old English. From Old English til, related to Old Norse til, both from a Germanic root meaning "toward" or "up to a point." It is not a shortened form of "until" — in fact "until" was built from "till.".
Is “till” a common word?
“Till” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “till” have?
“Till” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: up to the time of; until.
What is the difference between 'till' and 'until'?
They mean exactly the same thing and are both fully correct. 'Till' is actually the older word; 'until' was formed later by adding a prefix. 'Until' feels slightly more formal and is often preferred at the start of a sentence, while 'till' is common in everyday speech and writing.
Is 'til' or 'till' correct?
'Till' is the standard, long-established word and is always safe to use. ''Til' is an informal shortening of 'until,' based on the mistaken belief that 'till' is a clipped form. In careful writing, prefer 'till' or 'until'; save ''til' for casual or stylistic contexts.
Can you start a sentence with 'till'?
You can, but 'until' is usually the smoother choice at the beginning of a sentence, as in 'Until we meet again.' 'Till' works better mid-sentence: 'Wait till you see this.' Both are grammatically fine, so the decision comes down to tone and rhythm rather than a firm rule.
Does 'till' have other meanings?
Yes. Besides meaning 'up to the time of,' 'till' is a noun for a cash drawer or register in a shop, and a verb meaning to prepare and cultivate land for crops. These are unrelated words that happen to share the same spelling.
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