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• full time
  full time

  noun

  the number of hours in a period, as a day, week, or month, considered customary for pursuing an activity, especially working at a job: FT, F/T
• full-time
  full-time

  adjective

  working or operating the customary or requisite number of hours in each day, week, or month.

full time

¹ American  

[fool tahym] / ˈfʊl ˈtaɪm /

noun

1. the number of hours in a period, as a day, week, or month, considered customary for pursuing an activity, especially working at a job: FT, F/T

   The factory now operates on full time.

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full-time ² American  

[fool-tahym] / ˈfʊlˈtaɪm /

adjective

1. working or operating the customary or requisite number of hours in each day, week, or month.

   a full-time housekeeper;

   full-time production.

2. being indefinitely employed by one company for the customary or requisite number of hours.

   Only full-time employees are eligible for healthcare.

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adverb

1. on a full-time basis; on a schedule corresponding to the customary number of working or operational hours.

full-time ¹ British  

adjective

1. for the entire time appropriate to an activity

   a full-time job

   a full-time student

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adverb

1. on a full-time basis

   he works full time

full time ² British  

noun

1. the end of a football or other match Compare half-time

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Other Word Forms

• full-timer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of full time¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Origin of full-time²

First recorded in 1895–1900

Explanation

If you do something full-time, you spend most of your available time doing it. Working full-time usually means spending around forty hours a week doing your work. You can be employed at a full-time job, or you can be a full-time student. Some people are full-time parents, and you might hope to be a full-time artist or a full-time musician one day. In all of these examples, people use the majority of their waking hours (at least during the work week) focusing on one thing. This term dates from the late 1800s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

full time full-time

"We've lived here for three years full time and there has never been information that you should take this road if there is a fire, never."

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

He joined Comcast full time in 1981 after graduating the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

But starting this academic year, students who are enrolled less than full time will only be eligible for a proportion of the maximum federal student loan based on their level of enrollment.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

As of June 2025, images revealed that work on the project was nearly completed, suggesting that Jenner may have been preparing to move into her new abode full time.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

California is virtually alone among the states in having a formal program in biological control, and many states have not even one entomologist who devotes full time to it.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

After all, he’d come into the year fighting for a rotation spot, and he’d shown in that time that he was ready to be a full-time major-league starter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Compared with a year earlier, overall employment in Canada is up by 99,000 jobs, and despite softness in June this has been led by a roughly 131,000 rise in full-time work and the private sector.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Top Silicon Valley executive Fidji Simo announced Wednesday she is leaving her full-time role at OpenAI to go part-time as an advisor and focus on recovery from a chronic illness.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

There are few fortunes that can outlast a dementia illness or other ailment that requires full-time care for 20-plus years.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

Maybe my father was right and a full-time job does mature a person.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King