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• part time
  part time

  noun

  a period of time that is less than full time: PT, P/T
• part-time
  part-time

  adjective

  employed, functioning, or working less than the customary or requisite number of hours.

part time

¹ American  

[pahrt tahym] / ˈpɑrt ˈtaɪm /

noun

1. a period of time that is less than full time: PT, P/T

   Thirty-five hours a week is still considered part time.

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part-time ² American  

[pahrt-tahym, pahrt-tahym] / ˈpɑrtˌtaɪm, ˈpɑrtˈtaɪm /

adjective

1. employed, functioning, or working less than the customary or requisite number of hours.

   They had only enough money to hire a part-time clerk.

2. lasting, requiring, or being in force only a part of the time.

   part-time employment;

   part-time jobs.

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adverb

1. on a part-time basis.

   to work part-time.

part-time British  

adjective

1. for less than the entire time appropriate to an activity

   a part-time job

   a part-time waitress

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adverb

1. on a part-time basis

   he works part time

Other Word Forms

• part-timer
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of part time¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Origin of part-time²

First recorded in 1890–95; adjective, adverb use of part time

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Explanation

Anything that's part-time is done less often than is typical or average. If you're sick of working full-time hours, try working part-time. Part-time works as an adjective or an adverb, to describe things that don't take up as much time as you might expect, just part of a day or part of a week. If you're a part-time bus driver, you might do it twenty hours each week, in between classes. You could also call yourself a part-time student, or say that you study sociology part-time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

part time part-time

But maybe if I did it full time, I’d miss doing it part time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

We’re both semi-retired and currently working part time.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

She also works part time with a government agency providing therapy services for children, but the work isn’t steady, especially during the summer when school is out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

At age 71, MaryClare Feighan still works part time as she cares for her husband Jude, 77, who has been on disability for 15 years.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

The boy he had recently hired to work part time showed up early.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

And where do America’s vegetarians and part-time vegetarians, or “flexitarians,” live?

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 1, 2026

Wang said she previously worked in video production and has supported herself with some part-time work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

Dart has been coached by the French former world number seven since the start of the season on a part-time basis, and she credits Bartoli for helping her achieve what some thought was beyond her.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

The part-time festival worker and artist says his days are spent sorting postcards, processing letters and arranging for the post to hitch a ride north on passing ships before being distributed around the world.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

‘What makes you stick with that show? You can find something better than that. I could give you a part-time job here.’

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

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