time frame
noun
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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
Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 28 Oct. 2025
Well, fans who bought the streamer to keep up with the Sheridan Universe can rest easy; the showrunner's projects will remain on Paramount+, and will likely continue to air on the streamer for years to come given the long time frame before Sheridan joins NBCU for TV projects.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025
Swift was dismissed from the case after Marasco failed to serve the lawsuit within the time frame provided by the court.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Partly because of Pure Water expenses, the San Diego City Council is scheduled Tuesday to approve raising water rates more than 60% over four years and sewer rates more than 30% during that time frame.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for time frame
Cite this Entry
“Time frame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/time%20frame. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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