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.
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said Friday the next launch attempt for the roughly 400-foot rocket would occur sometime in early to mid-May.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
There is a slim chance the gap could be filled from May 9 session just below $500 sometime in mid 2026.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
The debut launch of the third-generation Starship is expected sometime this month.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
The bonus scene takes place sometime after the movie’s main story ends at the prison where Bowser and Bowser Jr. have been locked up.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
A large portion of the wreck was covered with enormous boulders, which had broken away from the cliffs that lined Antikythera’s shore sometime during the two thousand years the wreck had lain on the seabed.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
