sometime

[suhm-tahym]

adverb

1. at some indefinite or indeterminate point of time.

   He will arrive sometime next week.

2. at an indefinite future time.

   Come to see me sometime.

3. Archaic.,  sometimes; on some occasions.

4. Archaic.,  at one time; formerly.

adjective

1. having been formerly; former.

   The diplomat was a sometime professor of history at Oxford.

2. being so only at times or to some extent.

   Traveling so much, he could never be more than a sometime husband.

3. that cannot be depended upon regarding affections or loyalties.

   He was well rid of his sometime girlfriend.

sometime

/ ˈsʌmˌtaɪm /

adverb

1. at some unspecified point of time

adjective

1. (prenominal) having been at one time; former

   the sometime President

2. (prenominal) occasional; infrequent

Usage

The form sometime should not be used to refer to a fairly long period of time: he has been away for some time (not for sometime )

Spelling Note

The adverb sometime is written as one word: He promised to paint the garage sometime soon. The two-word form some time means “an unspecified interval or period of time”: It will take some time for the wounds to heal.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sometime¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; some, time

Example Sentences

WHO says these drugs, sometime called skinny jabs, represent a new chapter in the gradual conceptual shift in how society approaches obesity, from a "lifestyle condition" to a complex, preventable, and treatable chronic disease.

Read more on BBC

The president is also set to name his chosen successor to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term expires in May, sometime in the next few weeks.

Read more on Barron's

He danced with electric energy, sang with heartwarming ardency, and splashed perspiration around the Circle in the Square in “Just in Time,” portraying the 1960s chart-topper and sometime movie star Bobby Darin.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Once the storms finally move out sometime on Saturday, the rest of the weekend is expected to be dry but cool.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The companies plan to deliver the first proof-of-concept for a quantum network sometime in the next three to five years.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• late 
• once 
• periodically 
• someday