Until | Meaning, Examples & Uses
The word until indicates when a situation or state “continues up to and stops.” Its part of speech can be a preposition or conjunction.
| Until as a preposition in a sentence | Until as a conjunction in a sentence |
|---|---|
| I’m working until seven today, so I’ll be home late. | Don’t start the movie without me; wait until I get home! |
| These flowers won’t bloom until late summer. | Fry the onions until they start to turn brown. |
Until meaning
The preposition and conjunction until expresses that the duration of a state or situation extends “up to” the specified point in time.
| Example sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The exhibition opened on Monday and will run until the end of May. [Preposition] | Indicates that the duration of the exhibition, which started in the past, continues up to a point in the future (the end of May). |
| The software was working fine until I updated it. [Conjunction] | Indicates that the duration of the proper functioning of the software, which started in the past, continued up to a point in the past (when the application was updated). |
| I’m going to borrow Erwin’s bike until mine’s fixed [Conjunction] | Indicates that the duration of the temporary use of the bike, which will start in the future, will continue up to a point in the future (when his bike is repaired). |
Until can mean the same as “before” in negative statements.
I can’t pick up his bike until he gets back from vacation on Saturday.
Til meaning
The word ‘til (spelled with one “l” and an apostrophe before it) is a short form of “‘till” (with double “l” and no apostrophe). It can be used interchangeably with the preposition and conjunction “until.” “‘Til” is best avoided in formal writing, however, as it has an informal effect.
Just you wait ‘til I tell Mom what you said! [Conjunction]
Til noun
Til (also sometimes spelled “teel”) is another word for sesame, especially in the context of South Asian cuisine and traditional medicine. It can refer to the sesame plant, sesame seeds, and sesame oil.
Till meaning
You can use till interchangeably with the preposition and conjunction “until,” but as “till” has an informal effect in modern English, “until” is the better choice for formal contexts such as essays and cover letters.
Do we have enough milk till I go shopping on Friday? [Conjunction]
Till noun
A till is also another word for a cash register, or the place where you pay in a store, especially in British English (e.g., “Please pay at the tills on the first floor”). In American English, it can also refer to the money contained in a cash register (e.g., “We were about $10 short in the till when I closed the store yesterday”).
Until we meet again meaning
The phrase until we meet again is an old-fashioned way of saying goodbye in situations where the people saying goodbye do not know exactly when they will see each other, but want to express that they will be pleased to see each other again. It has been used as the title of many books and movies—and in the lyrics of many songs—about people separated from a loved one.
Frederick: Yes, drop by anytime. We’re always open.
(From the screenplay of the 1974 film Young Frankenstein, written by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder)
Is until a preposition?
The word until is classified as a preposition rather than a conjunction when it refers to a noun or noun phrase (e.g., “I can’t wait until summer,” or “I always stay until the end of the movie credits”).
Is until a conjunction?
Until is classified as a conjunction rather than a preposition when it introduces a dependent clause (e.g., “I can’t wait until the summer comes,” or “I never leave my seat until the movie credits have finished”).
Is until a subordinating conjunction?
Until is classified as a subordinating conjunction (also known as a subordinator) rather than a coordinating conjunction or correlative conjunction because it is used to introduce a subordinate clause (also known as a dependent clause).
George said we shouldn’t start until he gets here.
What part of speech is until?
The word until is a preposition when it introduces a noun or noun phrase (e.g., “She’s in a meeting until 12,” “She’ll be busy until the end of the budget review meeting”). But it’s a conjunction when it introduces a clause (e.g., “She’ll be busy until they’ve finished the budget meeting”).
Until vs by
We use the preposition by to mean “no later than” to indicate when an event or action will happen (e.g, “We have to check out by 10 a.m.”).
However, we use until to indicate the point a situation or state will continue up to (e.g., “There’s no rush; we have until 11 a.m. to check out”).
- Pick us up from the mall at about five; we’ll definitely be finished by then.
[The “finishing” will happen no later than five o’clock.] - We’ll definitely be finished until then.
- I’m on my way; I’ll be there by three.
[Their “arrival there” will happen no later than three o’clock.] - I’m on my way; I’ll be there until three.
- We’ll be at the mall until about five, so I’ll be home by six.
[The state of “being at the mall” will continue up to five o’clock.] - We’ll be at the mall by about five.
[This is grammatically possible but has a different meaning: their arrival at the mall will happen no later than about five o’clock.]
- I have to wait until five to pick up my dry cleaning.
[The waiting will continue up to five o’clock.] - I have to wait by five to pick up my dry cleaning.
Frequently asked questions about until
- Is it until or untill?
-
It is until, not untill.
The preposition and subordinating conjunction “until” is spelled with one “l.”
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you avoid common typos like “untill” instead of “until.”
- Is it until or til?
-
Both until and ‘til are correct and have the same meaning.
They can be used interchangeably but “‘til” (written with an apostrophe before it) is informal, so is best avoided in formal writing such as a research paper.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser tool can help you find the right level of formality for your text.
- Is it till or until?
-
Both till and until are correct and have the same meaning.
They can be used interchangeably, but “till” has a more informal effect, so is best avoided in formal writing—such as academic writing.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser tool can help you to fine-tune the formality of your text.
- Does until include that day?
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When until refers to a day or date, the meaning can be ambiguous because “until” refers to a particular point in that day or date rather than the whole day or date.
When people say “I’m out of office until Monday/May 2,” they generally mean that the state of “being out of office” will continue up to and end at the beginning of work, school, etc. on Monday (e.g., at 9 a.m. when they start work on Monday), so they will be back at work and available on Monday/May 2.
If they say “I’m here/available/working until Wednesday,” they generally mean that the state of “being here/available/working” will continue up to the end of work, school, etc. on Wednesday (e.g., 5 p.m. on Wednesday), so they will still be here/available/working on Wednesday.
To avoid confusion, you can specify the “end point” of the state or situation (e.g., “I’m out of office until 9 a.m. on May 2,” or “I’m available until 5 p.m. on Wednesday”).
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? You can use it to check your out of office email messages.
- How do you spell until correctly?
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The word until is spelled with one “l.”
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? It will help you avoid common typos like “untill” instead of “until.”
