betimes
Americanadverb
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early; in good time.
He was up betimes doing his lessons.
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occasionally; at times.
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Archaic. within a short time; soon.
adverb
-
in good time; early
-
in a short time; soon
Etymology
Origin of betimes
1275–1325; Middle English bitimes, equivalent to bitime (from phrase bi time by time) + -s -s 1
Vocabulary lists containing betimes
"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 3
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"To an Athlete Dying Young" by A. E. Housman
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Poppies don’t bloom in December — not even here — and roses put in an appearance only betimes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2022
It originated as Union Army surplus fabric after the Civil War, and 19th-century officers wore it betimes with a cowboy hat, or with an Abe Lincoln stovepipe topper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2021
"Moral Rearmament" became the 1938 slogan of Dr. Frank Buchman's Oxford Groups, who worked betimes for a religious revival, and betimes announced that it had already happened.
From Time Magazine Archive
Therefore hardy balcony patrons gather betimes to form their amazing queues.
From Time Magazine Archive
The almost imperceptible shading-off of winter into spring is signaled by tufts of freshly springing grass on the sunny side of a grave-stone; the birds build betimes among the tree-branches of the cemetery.
From Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast by Samuel Adams Drake
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
