I. till 1 S1 /tɪl, tl/ BrE AmE preposition , conjunction spoken
until:
I didn’t have a boyfriend till I was 17.
The shop’s open till nine o'clock on Fridays.
II. till 2 /tɪl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Anglo-French ; Origin: tylle ]
1 . British English a machine used in shops, restaurants etc for calculating the amount you have to pay, and for storing the money SYN cash register American English
2 . in the till American English money in the till is money that a company or organization has:
You keep as much money as you need in the till to run your operations.
3 . have your hands/fingers in the till to steal money from the place where you work
be caught with your hands/fingers in the till (=to be caught stealing from your employer)
III. till 3 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: tilian ]
to prepare land for growing crops SYN cultivate
till the soil/land/fields etc