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
Next morning he was up betimes and off to the Vatican for a conference of nearly two hours with Papal Secretary of State Luigi Cardinal Maglione.
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
Waked betimes, and my wife at an hour’s warning is resolved to go with me; which pleases me, her readiness....
From The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries To-Day and in Days of Old by Harper, Charles G. (Charles George)
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.
