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
Michael Wayland, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024
The city has collected $5.3 million for tickets written between January and November 2023, compared to $4.6 million for that time frame this year.
—Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 8 Dec. 2024
Regarding aftershocks, there is currently a 5% chance of a magnitude 6 or larger earthquake occurring in the next week, and a 34% chance of a magnitude 5 quake occurring in that time frame, the USGS said.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2024
Werfel pointed out, at the time, that the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the additional $80 billion under the IRA will increase federal revenue by more than $180 billion over that time frame, considering only direct enforcement revenue based on additional staffing.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for time frame 
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Cite this Entry
“Time frame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/time%20frame. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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