betimes
Americanadverb
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early; in good time.
He was up betimes doing his lessons.
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occasionally; at times.
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Archaic. within a short time; soon.
adverb
-
in good time; early
-
in a short time; soon
Etymology
Origin of betimes
1275–1325; Middle English bitimes, equivalent to bitime (from phrase bi time by time) + -s -s 1
Vocabulary lists containing betimes
"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 3
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"To an Athlete Dying Young" by A. E. Housman
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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.
Poppies don’t bloom in December — not even here — and roses put in an appearance only betimes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2022
It originated as Union Army surplus fabric after the Civil War, and 19th-century officers wore it betimes with a cowboy hat, or with an Abe Lincoln stovepipe topper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2021
"Moral Rearmament" became the 1938 slogan of Dr. Frank Buchman's Oxford Groups, who worked betimes for a religious revival, and betimes announced that it had already happened.
From Time Magazine Archive
In most U.S. cities bars close by 1 a.m. and most U.S. citizens go to bed betimes, anyhow.
From Time Magazine Archive
Come, Sir Andrew: not to be a-bed after midnight, is to be up betimes; and diluculo surgere, thou know'st,—— Sir And.
From Twelfth Night or, What You Will by J P Kemble
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.
