Expression "In the meanwhile"

[SkiIucK]

Hello,

Most of us probably are quite well familiar with 'In the meantime...'. It was just a few days ago that I stumbled accross 'In the meanwhile...'. Do you use this phrase often?

When I google the matter, the results are 34 times more in favour to 'In the meantime...'. What do you think?

Regards

[Harry_Ph]

It is preferable to use "in the meantime," and "in the meanwhile" is not that common to me. Some authorities discourage the use of "in the meanwhile," but they do not say that it is wrong. This is because "meanwhile" can also function as a noun.

I hope this somehow helps...
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[Arun_Kumar_45]

I am confused with the article used.
In the/a meanwhile. (Here meanwhile denotes short duration.)
Please correct me.

[Esl_Expert]

Hello Arun,

In the meantime is a very commonly used expression.

In the meanwhile is used occasionally, but nowhere near as often as in the meantime.

Saying in a meanwhile is wrong, but you can say in a while.
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[Alan]

Hi SkiIucK,

To me 'in the meanwhile' is sometimes used in narrative - an expression that is used in story telling where the storyteller wants to bring the listener up to date with what is happening elsewhere.

Alan
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