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
Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Enrollment has climbed over that same time frame, with about 11,000 of the state's 33,000 prisoners participating last year, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.
—CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
No Independence eateries met the threshold during this time frame.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2026
On the other hand, security surcharges rose 44 percent on shipments from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam in the same time frame.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 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 6 Apr. 2026.
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