Definition of TIME FRAME

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

They were not able to finish the project within the established time frame.

Recent Examples on the Web

Azar said the new number reflects a case-by-case audit of about 11,800 migrant children in its care, over a longer time frame. — Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, chicagotribune.com, "Trump administration vows to meet deadlines to reunite families, now says 3,000 kids have been separated," 5 July 2018 The best outcome would be not just freezing but disabling and dismantling all of their existing programs on a compressed time frame. — Joseph Hincks/seoul, Time, "Victor Cha on What to Expect from the Trump-Kim Summit," 7 June 2018 But, on [the other hand], the exhibition does something important by situating these questions on a larger time frame. — Giovanna Dunmall, Curbed, "At Venice Architecture Biennale, U.S. pavilion tackles borders and citizenship," 31 May 2018 The audit covers a three-year time frame, but was done this year because construction milestones were required at this point, including dollar amounts and square footage. — Sandra Baker, star-telegram, "Waterside owner sues Houston developer to recoup more than $1 million in lost incentive," 31 May 2018 Murphy said papers were served Tuesday to Jorgensen and the Lake County Board of Elections and Voter Registration, beyond what statute sets as a time frame. — Craig Lyons, Post-Tribune, "Judge sets recount in contested County Council race," 30 May 2018 Rokita showed his usual work ethic, raising enough money in a tight time frame to be the first candidate to run television ads in the primary, the contest that mattered much more than the general election in the heavily Republican district. — Maureen Groppe, Indianapolis Star, "Todd Rokita is battling 'the elites,' including fellow Republicans who used to support him," 26 Apr. 2018 PCWorld sources in the monitor industry confirmed a similar time frame. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "Nvidia's delayed 4K, 144Hz G-Sync HDR displays are expected to launch in April," 22 Mar. 2018 Before the introduction of the Limited Warranty in 1975, Good Housekeeping did not stipulate a time frame for consumers to file a complaint about a defective product. — Good Housekeeping, "The History of the Good Housekeeping Seal," 1 Oct. 2011

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