sometime

1 of 2

adverb

some·​time ˈsəm-ˌtīm 

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

Adverb

• eventually
• finally
• someday
• sooner or later
• ultimately
• yet

Adjective

• erstwhile
• former
• late
• old
• once
• onetime
• other
• past
• quondam
• whilom

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

Adverb

Information obtained from Dobson and the children indicated that sometime after 9 p.m. on Oct. 31, Aanerud began arguing with Dobson on the porch of the building where Dobson and her children resided, which is within 50 feet of the property owner’s residence. —Tim Speier, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2024

At the commencement address for her boyfriend, 45 years ago, the then president of Bank of America told the graduates that by sometime in the 2020s the United States would be a minority-majority country. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024

Adjective

This is by design; his sometime advisor Steve Bannon advocated flooding the zone with, well, excrement, so that media couldn’t keep up. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024

Here too the plot sends her character, the struggling actress and sometime lover of Dustin Hoffman’s cross-dressing soap star, up the river as needed. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2024

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

Kids Definition

sometime

1 of 2 adverb

some·​time ˈsəm-ˌtīm 

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