employed, functioning, or working less than the customary or requisite number of hours.
They had only enough money to hire a part-time clerk.
lasting, requiring, or being in force only a part of the time.
part-time employment;
part-time jobs.
First recorded in 1890–95
First recorded in 1890–95; adjective, adverb use of part time
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of Lee’s goals now is to save enough money to go to college out-of-state without having to work part time while in school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
She said that when she is released from quarantine, she plans to fly home on a commercial flight to Florida, where she lives part time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Michelle Crumm said that when her three children were in high school, they worked part time as tutors and on a golf course.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
She works part time, about 15 hours a week.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
They are going to pay me evry week like for a part time job because that was part of the arraingment when they got the mony from the Welberg foundashun.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
She could contribute through scholarships, part-time work and college loans — or she could opt for a less expensive school.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Reis is also a part-time associate professor at McMaster.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
Separately, the largest union for non-teachers won expanded hours in for its workers, which allowed many part-time employees to qualify for the first time for health benefits for themselves and family members.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Sarah earns £24,000 working part-time in insurance and Lee worked in maintenance at the same factory for 27 years, earning about £26,000, before being made redundant four years ago.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
“I could use someone on a part-time basis. Do you have any experience?”
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
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.
