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

Paul Kingsnorth, the British journalist, novelist and sometime radical environmentalist, has recently converted to Orthodox Christianity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They echoed Roberts’ argument that things have changed in the South, and the age-old refrain of Supreme Court racial recidivists: Surely, these special protections must stop sometime.

Read more on Salon

The two leaders are expected to meet in person sometime soon.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I introduced myself and suggested, lightly, that it would be nice to have them over sometime for coffee and a pastry.

Read more on Salon

But instead of Ohtani in Game 2, it will be Yamamoto who gets the ball — pushing Ohtani’s next pitching appearance to sometime later this series, Roberts said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• late 
• once 
• periodically 
• someday