1. noun /ʍaɪl,waɪl/
A certain duration of time, a period of time.
He lectured for quite a long while.
2. conjunction /ʍaɪl,waɪl/
a) During the same time that.
He was sleeping while I was singing.
b) although
While De Anza was exploring the Bay of San Francisco, seeking a site for the presidio, the American colonists on the eastern seaboard, three thousand miles away, were celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
3. verb /ʍaɪl,waɪl/
Wikipedia foundation.