# sometime

Pronunciation: US say "SUM-tym" /ˈsʌmˌtaɪm/; UK

## Adverb

1. At some point that is not exactly fixed but falls within a named period, whether in the past or in the future.
   - Simple: At some point in the past or future, without saying exactly when.
   - _We should schedule the inspection sometime in the coming month._
   - _The old textile mill shut its doors sometime in the early 1970s._

## Adjective

2. Former; erstwhile; having held a role or position at some previous time.
   - Simple: Former, describing a role or position that someone no longer holds.
   - _The building's sometime owner returned to visit after nearly two decades away._
   - _A sometime colleague of mine wrote the introduction to the new edition._
3. Occasional; happening from time to time rather than on a regular basis.
   - Simple: Happening now and then, but not all the time.
   - _The mountain cabin served as their sometime retreat during the busiest summers._
   - _He was a sometime contributor to several popular science magazines._

## Adverb

4. At some time that is not specified, whether in the past or the future; also, at one time, formerly. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: At some earlier time, before now.
   - _The knight had sometime served the crown with great devotion._
   - _She sometime kept a garden behind the cottage, before age stilled her hands._
5. Sometimes; on certain occasions rather than always. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: At certain times but not always.

## Origin

From Middle English somtyme (also som time, sumtyme and other spellings), equivalent to "some" plus "time".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sometime (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).