time frame

noun

variants or less commonly timeframe

ˈtīm-ˌfrām 

: a period of time especially with respect to some action or project

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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

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

Recent Examples on the Web

At the national level, single-family permits declined by 6 percent in the same time frame. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025

Meanwhile, the total revenue of alcohol-free beer and wine over the same time frame was roughly $37 million, per Spins. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 8 Aug. 2025

In that same time frame, the number of gun suicides grew from 527 a year, or 9.9 per 100,000 people, to 673, or 11.5 per 100,000 people. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025

Plus, the film's current DCU rival, Superman, dropped only 53 percent in the same time frame. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 3 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for time frame

• aspartame
• counterclaim
• overcame
• underframe
• username
• acclaim
• aflame
• airframe
• ballgame
• became
• declaim
• defame