Meaning & Definition
noun
A cash register or drawer for money in a shop or store.
Please put the cash in the till.
A place where money is kept in a business.
The till was empty after the day's sales.
verb
To prepare and cultivate land for growing crops.
Farmers will till the soil in spring.
To break up and turn over the soil.
We need to till the garden before planting.
preposition
Up to the time of; until.
We will wait till you arrive.
Expressing a condition or situation continuing to a specified point.
He studied hard till his exams were over.
Not before (a specified time).
You can't leave till the end of the meeting.
Etymology
Old Norse 'tilla' meaning 'to prepare' or 'to count'.
Common Phrases and Expressions
till death do us part:
a phrase used in marriage vows to signify commitment until death.
till the cows come home:
for a very long time; indefinitely.
till next time:
until the next occasion.
till it hurts:
to do something excessively or to the point of pain.
Slang Meanings
to till the soil in farming contexts.
They are tilling the fields all afternoon.
referring to a cash register in informal contexts.
I need to check the till for more change.