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
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 18 July 2025
That increase amounts to an influx of more than 11,000 residents to Kendall County since 2020, the largest numerical increase in a state that lost more than 100,000 residents over that same time frame.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 16 July 2025
Meanwhile, the average price of a stamp outside the U.S. went up by 55% within the same time frame.
—Mackenzie Thomas, The Washington Examiner, 14 July 2025
Those sanctions are supposedly going to take effect if a peace deal is not arrived at within Trump’s 50-day time frame.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 14 July 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 25 Jul. 2025.
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