sometime

adverb

some·time | \ˈsəm-ˌtīm

\

Definition of sometime

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 archaic : in the past : formerly

2 archaic : once in a while : occasionally

3 : at some time in the future I'll do it sometime

4 : at some not specified or definitely known point of time sometime last night

sometime

adjective

Definition of sometime (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : having been formerly : former, late

2 : being so occasionally or in only some respects a sometime father

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about sometime

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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 days-long wedding events themselves reportedly won't start until sometime between November 30 and December 2, but the couple is already on the ground to get the party started. — Macaela Mackenzie, Glamour, "Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas' Pre-Wedding Festivities Are Officially Underway," 22 Nov. 2018 There are few beauty woes as disheartening as discovering your face oil leaked sometime between packing and baggage claim. — Sophie Wirt, Allure, "Exclusive: Wander Beauty Launches Glow Ahead, Its First-Ever Facial Oil," 17 July 2018 In the end, sometime after 1 a.m., the Dodgers took home the victory, beating the Red Sox 3-2. — Gianluca Russo, Teen Vogue, "Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Game Lasts Seven Hours," 27 Oct. 2018 Twitter says the bug was active starting sometime in May of 2017, and Twitter issued a fix within hours of discovering it on September 10th, 2018. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Twitter bug sent users’ direct messages to external developers," 21 Sep. 2018 The Norse Greenland settlements vanished in the 1400s, sometime after life in continental Europe was badly rattled by the onset of the Black Death and the beginning of the Little Ice Age, an era of cooler climates. — Christina Larson, The Seattle Times, "Walrus bones provide clues to fate of lost Viking colony," 7 Aug. 2018 But then, sometime after the 15th century, these ancient dogs disappeared. — Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, "America’s first dogs vanished after Europeans arrived, study finds," 7 July 2018 Police don't know what was said but sometime after midnight Will showed up. — Erin Moriarty, CBS News, "Was alleged rape and shooting death investigation influenced by reality TV cameras?," 30 June 2018 The practice started sometime in the neolithic period (roughly 6,000-8,000 years ago) with simple stone mounds the size of a kitchen table. — Julia Kate Clark, Smithsonian, "As Mongolia Melts, Looters Close In On Priceless Artifacts," 11 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Fried, his sometime nemesis, had become assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia and continued to push vocal American support of Western-leaning governments in former Soviet states, Georgia in particular. — Keith Gessen, New York Times, "The Quiet Americans Behind the U.S.-Russia Imbroglio," 8 May 2018 Kathy McKeon served as Jackie Kennedy's personal assistant (and sometime nanny) during a time of great change for the former first lady. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Jackie Kennedy's Personal Assistant Remembers the Day Bobby Kennedy Died," 26 Apr. 2017 The injuries to the couple indicate that Charles Williams, 52, shot his wife and then himself sometime overnight Friday, police said. — Katie Park, Philly.com, "West Goshen couple dead in murder-suicide, police say," 4 June 2018 Arias was charged in the 2008 murder of her sometime lover Travis Alexander, who was found stabbed, shot and with his throat slit in the bathroom of his Mesa house. — Michael Kiefer, azcentral, "Arizona Appeals Court rules against Jodi Arias' request for court secrecy," 30 May 2018 Lawyers are once again debating the fate of Mumia Abu-Jamal, now 64, the former Black Panther and sometime radio reporter serving a life sentence for the 1981 shooting death of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner. — Aubrey Nagle, Philly.com, "Comcast staffers report sexual harassment, Cosby jury explains verdict | Morning Newsletter," 1 May 2018 He's been a real estate agent, owned a liquor store, and invested in buying and developing property with his friend and sometime business partner Randy Schrimsher. — Lee Roop, AL.com, "Tommy Battle runs for governor saying he'll sell Alabama as 'a smart place'," 26 Apr. 2018 The principal of Forest Park Elementary School was told of the posting sometime Wednesday, then told a school resource officer and contacted Portland Public Schools security, said Dave Northfield, a school district spokesman. — Everton Bailey Jr., OregonLive.com, "Portland school 'slaughterhouse' label on Google leads to extra police presence," 21 Mar. 2018 The intense relationship between dear friends and sometime lovers Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West was not a scandal in their own households — the writers’ similarly free-thinking husbands were reportedly fine with it. — Jeremy D. Goodwin, BostonGlobe.com, "Subverting gender in Lyric Stage’s sly ‘Orlando’," 27 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sometime.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about sometime

Dictionary Entries near sometime

something or other

Statistics for sometime

Last Updated

5 Dec 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for sometime

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

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More Definitions for sometime

sometime

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of sometime

(Entry 1 of 2)

: at an unspecified time in the future

: at an unspecified or unknown time in the past

sometime

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of sometime (Entry 2 of 2)

—used to say what someone or something was in the past

—used to say what someone sometimes does or is

See the full definition for sometime in the English Language Learners Dictionary

sometime

adverb

some·time | \ˈsəm-ˌtīm

\

Kids Definition of sometime

1 : at a future time I'll repay you sometime.

2 : at a time not known or not specified It disappeared sometime yesterday.

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