time frame

noun

variants or less commonly timeframe

ˈtīm-ˌfrām 

: a period of time especially with respect to some action or project

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time frame or timeframe?

Should time frame be written as one word or two? At present, it is most commonly styled as two words with no hyphen in between.

Compounds, or “words consisting of components that are words,” come in three varieties: open (two words with a space between them, such as lima bean), hyphenated (two words with a hyphen between them, such as runner-up), and closed (one word, such as rowboat). In some cases, competing compound stylings appear in different publications. This is generally acceptable as long as the spelling remains consistent throughout a book or periodical.

Compounds have a tendency to move from open to closed as time goes by, and our evidence suggests that time frame is headed in this direction. At this point, however, the open compound is far more prevalent.

Examples of time frame in a Sentence

They were not able to finish the project within the established time frame.

Recent Examples on the Web

The time frame allows the project's stewards and visitors to contemplate not only Cage's legacy but their own as guardians of the organ and its sounds. — ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026

But the reduction in fertilizer exports through Hormuz, and the impacts on agricultural production, will unfold over a much longer time frame because harvests are seasonal. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026

This is less than this time last year, when eight had been diagnosed in the same time frame. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Aug. 2026

Over that same time frame, total player payouts have grown less than half that fast. — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 31 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for time frame

• aspartame
• counterclaim
• overcame
• underframe
• username
• acclaim
• aflame
• airframe
• ballgame
• became
• declaim
• defame