time frame

noun

variants or less commonly timeframe

ˈtīm-ˌfrām

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

Did you know?

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.

Example Sentences

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

Recent Examples on the Web Many health-care systems require their employees to get the shot in this time frame as well.

Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2022 New Jersey doesn’t mandate a specific time frame for withdrawals to be completed, but patrons shouldn’t face any delays beyond checks for money laundering and fraud, regulators have said.

Katherine Sayre, WSJ, 12 Nov. 2022 In its ruling that spring, the board excoriated Facebook for basically making decisions on the fly—and for refusing to provide a time frame for the ex-president’s restoration.

Steven Levy, WIRED, 8 Nov. 2022 That's because city officials haven't yet disclosed a specific time frame for when the city might raze Northridge − due to the need to pay for a demolition that would likely cost millions of dollars.

Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2022 That can’t happen sooner than 90 days after the seat becomes vacant — but after the 90-day period, the charter language doesn’t specify a time frame for when an election should occur.

Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Oct. 2022 How the next prime minister is being picked The ruling Conservative Party has set an astonishingly short time frame to select a new leader, who will also become prime minister.

Leo Sands, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022 Savers who have at least a one-year time frame to park their cash face an October deadline for locking up some incredible rates on I Bonds for the next 12 months.

Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 18 Oct. 2022 The bill also established a time frame under which a CON must be approved or denied.

Patrick Gleason, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'time frame.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.