It's Been a While: Meaning and Examples

"It's been a while" is used to indicate that a considerable amount of time has passed since something occurred or since you last saw someone.

The expression is often used in casual conversations to acknowledge a lapse in time or to reconnect after a period of separation. Note that "It's been a while" is a contraction for "It has been a while," not "It is been a while."

For instance, imagine two old friends, Sarah and Emily, who have not seen each other in several years. When they finally meet up, Sarah might say, "Wow, Emily, it's been a while since we last met!" She is expressing how they have not seen each other for an extended period of time, which in this case is several years.

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The use of "It's been a while" throughout the years

The colloquial phrase "It's been a while" has experienced exponential growth in the last couple of decades in published books in Google's database. The expression is likely used in fictional works such as novels in which characters may say the phrase to other characters.

It's been a while vs. It's been awhile: Which is right?

"It's been a while" is the standard and grammatically correct way to express that a significant amount of time has passed since something occurred or since you last saw someone.

"It's been awhile" is not considered standard English. The word "awhile" is an adverb that means "for a while" or "for a short period of time." It is used to describe the duration of an action. In the phrase "It's been a while," "a while" is a noun that cannot be replaced with an adverb like "awhile." Therefore, "It's been a while" is the proper and more widely accepted expression.

"Awhile" can only be used as an adverb as in the following sentence:

I'll wait here awhile until you arrive.

In this sentence, you can replace "awhile" with other adverbs like "patiently" or "calmly" to check if "awhile" is indeed being used as an adverb.

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Other expressions like "It's been a while"

Alternative phrases and expressions for "It's been a while" include:

Long time no see.
I haven't seen you in ages.
We haven't caught up in forever.
It's been so long.
It's been ages since we last met.

All the above phrases can be used as alternatives to "It's been a while," and they are commonly used in casual conversations among friends, coworkers, and family.

Example sentences

Hey, it's been a while since we hung out together. Let's catch up!
I bumped into Jane at the grocery store. We exchanged numbers and said, "It's been a while!"
I received an email from my college roommate, and she started with, "It's been a while since we chatted."
Meeting you here brings back memories. It's been a while, hasn't it?
I visited my hometown, and seeing my childhood friend, we both said, "It's been a while."
Reconnecting with old colleagues, they greeted me with, "It's been a while since you left the company."
On the phone with my cousin, she remarked, "It's been a while since our family reunion."
At the class reunion, many classmates said, "It's been a while since we graduated."
Meeting my former boss, we both acknowledged, "It's been a while since I worked there."
Seeing your face on social media, I thought, "It's been a while since we caught up."

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