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
At this point in the WSL’s existence, eight years since becoming a fully professional league, players now ageing out at the title contenders do so with all the advantages — finances, facilities, health — of only knowing full-time football. Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Kathryn Kathryn Smith is the former special teams quality control coach for the Buffalo Bills and is the first full-time female coach in league history. Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026 The administration’s nominee for full-time director, Brian Johnson, is an executive at Capital One bank and a former CFPB appointee. Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026 Before beginning her full-time NBC News tenure in 2010, Welker worked for local TV stations in Providence, Rhode Island; Redding, California; and later Philadelphia, her hometown. Erin Jensen, USA Today, 31 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 1 Sep. 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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