While crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “While” are PIECE, SPELL or PATCH, with 5 letters. Below are 21 answers from 3 to 11 letters, best match first in each length, then what each top answer means and how to tell them apart.

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The best answers, explained

SOB 3 letters · noun

convulsive gasp made while weeping

PIECE 5 letters · noun

a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition “I need to rest for a piece”

CONVOY 6 letters · noun

the act of escorting while in transit

SHAVING 7 letters · noun

the act of brushing against while passing

DREAMING 8 letters · noun

imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake

ANTAGONIST 10 letters · noun

a muscle that relaxes while another contracts “when bending the elbow the triceps are the antagonist”

DAYDREAMING 11 letters · noun

absentminded dreaming while awake

Telling them apart

With 5 squares, PIECE, SPELL, PATCH and DREAM all fit. The second letter tells them all apart: I → PIECE · P → SPELL · A → PATCH · R → DREAM. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 6 squares, CONVOY, THRASH and GARGLE all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: C → CONVOY · T → THRASH · G → GARGLE. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 7 squares, SHAVING, GRAZING, SOBBING, WAILING, AGONIST and BAWLING all fit. The first letter settles most of it: S → SHAVING, SOBBING · G → GRAZING · W → WAILING · A → AGONIST · B → BAWLING. Fill in that crossing answer first.

Other forms of this clue

Clues often use another form of the word, and the answer then takes the same form: “whiled” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “while” means

• noun: a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition (“he was here for a little while”)

A clue usually points at one of these senses, so the right answer is the one that matches the sense the puzzle means: check it against the crossing words.

About these answers

We match the clue against our own thesaurus and dictionary (Open English WordNet): words that mean the same as WHILE, and words whose definition is WHILE. We don't copy answers from newspaper puzzles, so a clue that leans on trivia or wordplay may need the crossing letters instead.