sometime

1 of 2

adverb

some·​time ˈsəm-ˌtīm How to pronounce sometime (audio)
Synonyms of sometimenext
1
: at some time in the future
I'll do it sometime.
2
: at some not specified or definitely known point of time
sometime last night
3
archaic : in the past : formerly
4
archaic : once in a while : occasionally

sometime

2 of 2

adjective

1
: having been formerly : former, late
2
: being so occasionally or in only some respects
a sometime father

Synonyms of sometime

Relevance

Adverb

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of sometime in a Sentence

Adverb We should get together sometime. It's likely to happen sometime soon. She will return from her trip sometime in December. A burglar broke in sometime during the night. The book was written sometime around the turn of the century. Adjective a sometime athlete who's gotten awfully fat
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Jayhawks men’s basketball coach Bill Self would like to find out if that will still be the case, say, sometime during March Madness. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026 The first half of the park is expected to open to the public sometime next year. — Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Adjective
In the mid-1990s, Bob Bartel, a Chicago native and sometime private detective and full-time Beatles nut, heard Louise speak at a fan convention about George’s vacation in Benton. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 The uncertain status of TPS has led to sometime conflicting actions by government agencies or employers. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sometime

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sometime was in the 14th century

Rhymes for sometime

See All Rhymes for sometime

Browse Nearby Words

something or other
sometime
some time ago
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sometime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sometime. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

sometime

1 of 2 adverb
some·​time ˈsəm-ˌtīm How to pronounce sometime (audio)
1
: at some time in the future
I'll do it sometime
2
: at some unspecified or uncertain point of time
sometime last night

sometime

2 of 2 adjective
: having been at an earlier time : former, late
sometime mayor
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