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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

In these specialized consulting roles, they can help train and mentor current employees while also gaining more freedom to pursue opportunities outside their previous full time positions.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Her disability meant Terry had to leave his job to care for Maya full time, while Dellanie reduced her working hours to care for her, and support her husband.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Kelly Mitchell and her husband, Craig, both work full time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Children raised in two-parent families in which one parent is employed full time already have a host of advantages, while children raised in low-income single-parent households are more likely to face significant challenges.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

Upon his return he gave up his previous research problem and was devoting full time to phage.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

She says she’s now mom’s full-time caregiver: She cooks, manages her medications, drives her to appointments and handles her finances and insurance paperwork.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

The party atmosphere at full-time was in stark contrast to the general gloom that has surrounded the club lately.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

So instead of showing up to training camp in 2017, he decided to become a full-time student again.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

John Urschel retired from the Baltimore Ravens in 2017 to become a full-time student and is now an assistant professor at MIT.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

If she were my full-time mother, I would.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan