sometime
Americanadverb
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at some indefinite or indeterminate point of time.
He will arrive sometime next week.
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at an indefinite future time.
Come to see me sometime.
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Archaic. sometimes; on some occasions.
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Archaic. at one time; formerly.
adjective
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having been formerly; former.
The diplomat was a sometime professor of history at Oxford.
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being so only at times or to some extent.
Traveling so much, he could never be more than a sometime husband.
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that cannot be depended upon regarding affections or loyalties.
He was well rid of his sometime girlfriend.
adverb
adjective
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(prenominal) having been at one time; former
the sometime President
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(prenominal) occasional; infrequent
Spelling
The adverb sometime is written as one word: He promised to paint the garage sometime soon. The two-word form some time means “an unspecified interval or period of time”: It will take some time for the wounds to heal.
Usage
The form sometime should not be used to refer to a fairly long period of time: he has been away for some time (not for sometime )
Etymology
Origin of sometime
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was written while the then Princess Elizabeth was at Praa Sands in Cornwall sometime between 1936 and 1940, at which time she would have been between 10 and 12 years old.
From BBC
She made plans to move immediately, renting a larger home on Prospect Street sometime in May of 1848.
From Literature
I woke up sometime during the night and heard Mama talking to Papa and she sounded as if she was real upset.
From Literature
SB 875 is expected to go into print Monday night and will head to the Senate Energy Committee for review sometime in the spring.
From Los Angeles Times
Questioned by AFP, the intelligence chief of a European country bordering Russia said they had noticed the presence of Moran Security personnel aboard vessels of Russia's "shadow fleet", "sometime last year".
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
