Meantime refers to the period of time between now and when something else happens. If dinner won't be ready for another hour, you might read a book in the meantime. If your friend is running late to meet you, you could practice shooting baskets in the meantime.

The word helps us talk about using time while we wait. When a teacher says “I'll grade your essays this weekend; in the meantime, start reading Chapter 5,” she's telling you what to do during the gap between now and when you get your essays back.

You'll often see meantime paired with “in the” at the start of a sentence: “In the meantime, let's work on something else.” It's closely related to the phrase in the meantime, which means exactly the same thing. Both expressions acknowledge that while one thing is happening (or about to happen), there's space for other activities.

When you're waiting for your turn at bat, you can practice your swing in the meantime. When you're waiting for a package to arrive, you can finish your homework in the meantime. Meantime helps us bridge the gap between now and later.