sometime

1 of 2

adverb

some·​time ˈsəm-ˌtīm How to pronounce sometime (audio)
1
: at some time in the future
I'll do it sometime.
2
: at some not specified or definitely known point of time
sometime last night
3
archaic : in the past : formerly
4
archaic : once in a while : occasionally

sometime

2 of 2

adjective

1
: having been formerly : former, late
2
: being so occasionally or in only some respects
a sometime father

Examples of sometime in a Sentence

Adverb We should get together sometime. It's likely to happen sometime soon. She will return from her trip sometime in December. A burglar broke in sometime during the night. The book was written sometime around the turn of the century. Adjective a sometime athlete who's gotten awfully fat
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Once that process concludes — presumably sometime this spring — the Sun Devils will hire an athletic director to replace Ray Anderson, who stepped down in November. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024 Kilpatrick and his boyfriend were seen relieving themselves at the employee entrance to Precinct, a bar on South Broadway, sometime around 2 a.m. Saturday, according to video posted to the bar’s Instagram. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Thus, season 7 will likely appear on Netflix sometime at the end of 2024 or early 2025. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024 The move is expected to take place sometime in Spring 2025. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 14 Mar. 2024 Trees were planted on the island sometime before 1915, according to the Oshkosh Public Museum. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024 So far, officials have signaled three cuts later this year, probably starting sometime this summer. Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The 9-1-1 world may be getting some surprise visitors sometime soon. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Image Royalle’s executor was Veronica Vera, a Wall Street trader turned journalist (and sometime Robert Mapplethorpe model), who, since 1989, has run a downtown Manhattan outfit called Miss Vera’s Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls. Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Beginning his career on stage, McCourt worked in nearly every medium, including serving as a sometime host of New York radio programs. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024 Barnum Brown by Lowell Dingus and Mark A. Norell (University of California Press) These paleontologists write a rollicking recollection of Brown, a globe-trotting adventurer, sometime spy, and great dinosaur hunter who was the first to unearth T. rex. Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2023 Colin Greenwood—Radiohead bassist and sometime Cave touring bandmate—and guitarist Luis Almau are billed as additional performers on the LP. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 6 Mar. 2024 Minimalism, as practiced by the likes of Donald Judd, Dan Flavin and Richard Serra — her then partner, and a sometime collaborator — was ascendant; with her mirrors, masks and costumes, Jonas consciously rejected the imperatives of the day. Susan Dominus Emiliano Granado, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The sometime attorney, who is supposed to be supervising, ends up moonlighting as an amateur detective. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 The winner will be revealed sometime March 14 through March 20, depending on how many finals games are necessary. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 20 Feb. 2024 His episodes focused on Princess Diana’s final, tragic months in the lead-up to her fatal 1997 car crash alongside her sometime boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 13 Feb. 2024 The Emmy winner was on The View Tuesday morning discussing how The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's sometime villain/occasional bathtub activist Meredith Marks will, through Paulson, make her debut on the Great White Way. EW.com, 21 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sometime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sometime was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sometime

Cite this Entry

“Sometime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sometime. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sometime

1 of 2 adverb
some·​time ˈsəm-ˌtīm How to pronounce sometime (audio)
1
: at some time in the future
I'll do it sometime
2
: at some unspecified or uncertain point of time
sometime last night

sometime

2 of 2 adjective
: having been at an earlier time : former, late
sometime mayor

More from Merriam-Webster on sometime

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!