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
Sean Nevin, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
However, there is no time frame for the second phase yet.
—Adriana Morga, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Austin told the Star-Telegram at the time that only a handful of similar cases over the last 20 years had been investigated by the medical examiner’s office, and each involved remains from about the same time frame.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2026
Businesses also have to weigh the risk that a supplier will take advantage of them, using leverage to exact higher payments over time, against concerns that building the capability in-house can be done at the right quality, quantity, cost, and time frame.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
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 31 Mar. 2026.
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