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

And I think that has to do with the fact that sometime during the 20th century in the U.S., the term oligarch got changed from being those empowered by wealth and who pursue their interests to someone who’s wealthy because of corruption and then intervenes in politics in a way that is seen as equally corrupt.

From Slate

Originating in the KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa, on the Eastern Cape, the bird of paradise found its way to the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino sometime before 1932, when the institution’s record-keeping began, explains Kathy Musial, senior curator of living collections.

From Los Angeles Times

While its exact origins or founder is unknown, scholars and activists agree that the 4B movement began in South Korea sometime after 2015, as part of a wider wave of youth-led radical feminism popularized through online forums.

From Los Angeles Times

According to an Associated Press reporter in Wisconsin, this means the release of this huge batch of ballots “will likely be sometime after sunrise tomorrow.”

From Slate

There came a time — I'm not sure when, sometime in the last year — where I found it so dispiriting to put Donald Trump's lies on the screen that I came up with this idea of saying, "Okay, we're not going to give them our entire screen."

From Salon

Related Words

• late
• once
• periodically
• someday