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
Leslie Picker, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
The mechanism that agricultural commissioners for Yuba and Sutter counties have at their disposal to curb theft is the annual walnut-buying period that establishes time frames and documentation requirements for buying and selling unprocessed walnuts.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 31 Oct. 2025
For this story, our editors and contributors tested their luxury pillows in their own homes for at least a month (our minimum testing time frame), but most of them have been slept on for nearly six months to get a true gauge of how these models hold up over time.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2025
When making a public records request, be specific about the document, the agency, and the time frame.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 30 Oct. 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 5 Nov. 2025.
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