wile Definition
wile (wīl)
noun
- a sly trick; deceitful artifice; stratagem
- a beguiling or coquettish trick: usually used in pl.
- Now Rare craftiness; guile
Etymology: ME < Late OE wil < OE wigle, magic, divination, akin to wiglian, to take auspices, wicce, witch
transitive verb wiled, wil′·ing
to beguile; lure
wile Idioms
wile away
to while away (time, etc.): by confusion with while
wile Synonyms
wile
n.
wile Usage Examples
Object
night: Tiny little hotel rooms with a bed and as many gadgets as you could ask for to wile the night away!
Converse of object
use: Smugglers flit across the long, leaky desert border using ancient wiles and modern technology.
Adjective modifier
- feminine: Carly uses her feminine wiles on Christopher to good effect.
- seductive: Angie Dickinson plays the accomplice who uses her seductive wiles to ensnare one of Walker's prey.
Modifying Another Word
away: Tents were pitched opposite the Gwyn and then a few minutes were wiled away in the traditional manner.
Followed by a transitive particle
away: Enjoying a meal or a drink by the marina is always a pleasant way to wile away a few hours.
Possessives
Satan: I see Satan's wiles, I see what the world wants, and I sense the frailty and corruption of my flesh.
Particle object:
- hour: Enjoying a meal or a drink by the marina is always a pleasant way to wile away a few hours.
- time: For the longer journey we can even entertain you with our TV & Video to wile away the journey time.
- afternoon: A renowned hotspot, there is no better way to wile away an afternoon than soaking up the rays on the terrace.
- couple: A string of tavernas and bars along the harbor side make for a pleasant enough place to wile away a couple of hours.
- evening: Could be used to wile away long winter evenings in caving huts.
Preposition: of
Browse dictionary entries near wile
- ‹ wildwood
- ‹ wilds
- ‹ wildly
- ‹ wildling
- ‹ wildlife
- ‹ Wilding, Michael
- ‹ wilding
- ‹ wildfowl
- ‹ wildflower
- ‹ wildfire
- Wilfred ›
- wilful ›
- Wilhelm ›
- Wilhelm II, Kaiser ›
- Wilhelmina ›
- Wilhelmine ›
- Wilhelmshaven ›
- wilily ›
- wiliness ›
- Wilkes ›

