sometime

1 of 2

adverb

some·​time ˈsəm-ˌtīm 

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

Synonyms of sometime

Adverb

• eventually
• someday
• finally
• soon

Adjective

• former
• old
• late
• erstwhile
• other
• past
• once

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

The flow of frozen dairy treats stopped at the Chicago Street location sometime in the 1950s. — Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026

Once the new designs are approved (sometime this year, if all goes well), the DoB plans to publish the specs so that any contractor can download the design, buy off-the-shelf elements, tailor the structure to the site, and get a scheme approved in a matter of hours. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 24 June 2026

Adjective

If necessary, Game 3 would be sometime Monday. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 3 June 2026

That’s according to a new report from SAE International’s (and sometime Ars contributor) Roberto Baldwin. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026

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

Rhymes for sometime

• aforetime
• allozyme
• anytime
• christmastime
• cybercrime
• dinnertime
• guggenheim
• isozyme
• lysozyme
• maritime
• mesenchyme
• overtime

Kids Definition

sometime

1 of 2 adverb

some·​time ˈsəm-ˌtīm 

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