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 That's the same time frame in which Parnas and Giuliani were trying to oust Yovanovitch and de Caluwe was sending messages about her whereabouts to Hyde. — Anna Schecter, NBC News, "Dutch Trump superfan who claimed he surveilled Ambassador Yovanovitch told people he was DEA," 29 Jan. 2020 His previous buyout for the same time frame was $2 million. — oregonlive, "Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith’s revised contract increased to $2.4 million in 2020, $2.9 million in 2025," 18 Jan. 2020 This represents a step up from its existing target of cutting emissions by 40% within the same time frame (see chart), but independent analyses suggest that the 50% end of the range will not represent much of a stretch. — The Economist, "The EU’s Green Deal is full of ambition but needs more detail," 12 Dec. 2019 The company has noticed that search volume for pink Christmas trees is way up: There's been a 125 percent increase in people searching that term on its website this fall compared to the same time frame in 2018. — Kaitlin Menza, House Beautiful, "Search Volume for Pink Christmas Trees Is Up 125% This Year," 6 Nov. 2019 When Colorado higher education institutions waived application fees for a day last year, 23,000 applicants took advantage of the cost-saving initiative — a 12% jump compared to the same time frame in 2017. — Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, "You can apply to any of Colorado’s public colleges and universities for free on Oct. 15," 2 Oct. 2019 And areas can be uninhabitable for the same time frame. — Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, "Dorian is forecast to become a Category 3 'major' hurricane. What does this mean?," 28 Aug. 2019 The opposition has insisted the starting point for talks is Maduro’s willingness to hold elections within a reasonable time frame. — Washington Post, "The Latest: Norway mediation effort in Venezuela stalls," 8 June 2019 Following that rule of thumb, two to four months is a reasonable time frame to lose about 20 pounds. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "How to Lose 20 Pounds and Keep It Off for Good, According to Experts," 3 June 2019

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.