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
Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2025
Pending sales, during the same time frame, were down 1.5 percent year-over-year, and mortgage-purchase applications were down 3 percent week-over-week.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
The audit found the commission failed to reach out to jails within these minimum time frames in 19% of the complaints investigated.
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 June 2025
Trustee Mark Steen questioned how realistically the village’s goal can be achieved and in what time frame.
—Jennifer Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 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 1 Jul. 2025.
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