part time

¹ American  

[pahrt tahym] / ˈpɑrt ˈtaɪm /

noun

1. a period of time that is less than full time: PT, P/T

   Thirty-five hours a week is still considered part time.

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part-time ² American  

[pahrt-tahym, pahrt-tahym] / ˈpɑrtˌtaɪm, ˈpɑrtˈtaɪm /

adjective

1. employed, functioning, or working less than the customary or requisite number of hours.

   They had only enough money to hire a part-time clerk.

2. lasting, requiring, or being in force only a part of the time.

   part-time employment;

   part-time jobs.

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adverb

1. on a part-time basis.

   to work part-time.

part-time British  

adjective

1. for less than the entire time appropriate to an activity

   a part-time job

   a part-time waitress

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adverb

1. on a part-time basis

   he works part time

Other Word Forms

• part-timer noun

Etymology

Origin of part time¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Origin of part-time²

First recorded in 1890–95; adjective, adverb use of part time

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

Think about how you could buy a home without a mortgage in your home country and work even part time.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

On his LinkedIn page, the man widely expected to be the BBC's new Director General describes himself as a "gap year student, part time athlete".

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

In addition to having a private practice, she worked part time at Amae Health, a Los Angeles clinic providing mental health and psychiatric care, the outlet said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

A few jobs later, the couple moved to the U.S., where Ivanova took jobs handling grants and fundraising for various nonprofits, a role she still fills part time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

She worked part time in a laboratory on campus to support herself too, but she had a hard time doing that when she lost him.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi