till
gb/tˈɪl/ us/tˈɪl/
A2
English
~ 2900
Senses
0 senses
preposition
A2
relation
1
Up to a certain time
Until a certain time or event.
Usage pattern:
till [time/event]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'till' with 'by'. 'Till' means up to a point in time, not before it.
Synonyms
until (Interchangeable in most contexts; 'until' is slightly more formal.)
Antonyms
since (Indicates starting from a point in time, opposite of ending at a point.)
Collocations
till now
|till midnight
|till the end
Themes
time
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- We waited till the rain stopped.
- I won’t leave till you arrive.
- The shop is open till 9 p.m.
- He worked on the project till it was perfect.
Learner examples
- I stayed here till 6 p.m.
- She will wait till you come.
- The movie lasts till midnight.
- We can talk till dinner.
Noun
B1
entity
2
Cash drawer in a shop
A box or drawer in a store for keeping money.
Usage pattern:
open the till
Synonyms
cash drawer (More descriptive and transparent term for the same object.)
Collocations
open the till
|count the till
|cash in the till
Themes
business
|shopping
|finance
|daily_life
Examples
- The cashier put the money into the till.
- She counted the till at the end of her shift.
- There wasn’t much cash left in the till.
- The manager checked the till for shortages.
Learner examples
- The money is in the till.
- She opened the till and gave change.
- He counted the till after work.
- The shop has a new till.
Verb
B2
action
3
Prepare soil for planting
To turn and prepare soil to grow plants.
Usage pattern:
till [land/field]
Synonyms
plow ('Plow' is more common in American English; 'till' can refer to more general soil preparation.)
Antonyms
harvest (Harvesting is gathering crops, the opposite stage of cultivation.)
Collocations
till the soil
|till the land
|till a field
Themes
agriculture
|gardening
|nature
|work
Examples
- Farmers till the fields every spring.
- He tilled the soil before planting vegetables.
- The land was tilled and ready for seeds.
- They use tractors to till large areas of farmland.
Learner examples
- I will till the garden today.
- The farmer tills his land.
- They till fields in spring.
- We tilled the soil for flowers.
Grammar
Dictionary form
till
IPA
GB/tˈɪl/
US/tˈɪl/
Syllables & stress
till (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (till)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: till
- Plural: tills
Verb
- Base: till
- 3rd Person Singular: tills
- Present Participle: tilling
- Past: tilled
Word family
Forms
tills
noun
tilling
verb
tilled
verb
Core family
until
preposition A1
Expressions
till death do us part
1/tˈɪl dˈɛθ dˈu ˈʌs pˈɑɹt/
fixed phrase
formal
Until death separates us
Until one person dies, often said in marriage vows.
Examples
- They promised to love each other till death do us part.
- The vow says, 'Till death do us part.'
till now
1/tˈɪl nˈaʊ/
fixed phrase
Up to this moment
Until this moment in time.
Examples
- Till now, we haven’t had any problems.
- I didn’t know about it till now.
till the cows come home
1/tˈɪl ðə kˈaʊz kˈʌm hˈoʊm/
idiom
informal
for a very long time
For a very long time, or for as long as you like, often with no clear ending.
Examples
- You can argue till the cows come home, but it won’t change my mind.
- They could play that game till the cows come home and never get bored.
- We can wait for the prices to fall till the cows come home, but it may never happen.
till the cows come home
2/tˈɪl ðə kˈaʊz kˈʌm hˈoʊm/
idiom
informal
For a very long time
For a very long or endless time.
Examples
- You can argue till the cows come home, but I won’t change my mind.
- They could play video games till the cows come home.