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
Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Charges can be dismissed if they are not acted upon within that time frame, Budd said.
—Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 16 Sep. 2025
Earlier this year, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund proposed switching to semiannual reporting, reasoning that lengthening the time frame would allow companies to focus on the longer term.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2025
Additionally, volumes from South Korea have been consistently down by between 20 percent and 30 percent in that time frame.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 15 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 2025.
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