1
: employed for or involving full time
full-time employees
full-time work
2
: devoting one's full attention and energies to something
a full-time gambler
full-time adverb

full time

2 of 2

noun

: the amount of time considered the normal or standard amount for working during a given period

Examples of full-time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Wyoming Whiskey is located in the small town of Kirby—and this is truly a small town, with only about 60 full-time residents based there. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 18 Aug. 2026 Gumbs and Curry make the cut as rotational pass rushers since the Colts don’t really have a full-time pass rusher opposite Latu. James Boyd, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 All 10 full-time coaches return, and so do several of the players who became centerpieces of Kittley’s first team, including Veltkamp. Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2026 Medora—which has a hundred and twenty-one full-time residents, according to the latest census—comes alive in the summer. Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for full-time

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1821, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of full-time was in 1821

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Full-time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/full-time. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Kids Definition

full-time

adjective
ˈfu̇l-ˈtīm
: working or involving the full number of hours considered normal or standard
a full-time job
full-time employees
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