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

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

Archeologists estimate that it was first used around 7,500 BCE, and was abandoned sometime around 2,500 BCE. —Sarah Durn, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025

The first time our columnist walked into The Courier Journal building was sometime in 1967 for a winter fashion photo shoot. —Ray Padilla, The Courier-Journal, 10 Sep. 2025

Adjective

Among the travelling group was Penny Cuthbertson, a friend of Lucian’s and his sometime subject. —Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

Those two little words, your place, offer a first big hint as to the sometime-couple’s current status. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Sep. 2025

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