someday

someday — adverb

1. used to talk about something that you expect or hope will happen, without saying

1.adverbB1
Definition

used to talk about something that you expect or hope will happen, without saying exactly when

Example

Tamar hopes to visit Japan someday and climb Mount Fuji.

collocation: hope to + someday + verb

Indra's dream is that someday her paintings will hang in a museum.

noun clause: dream is that someday…

Synonyms
  • one day

    more common in both past and future reference; 'one day' can refer to the past ('One day I met her'), while 'someday' is only future

  • eventually

    suggests that something will happen after a process or a delay, rather than simply at an unspecified future time

  • ultimately

    more formal; focuses on the final outcome after a series of events

Antonyms
  • never

    direct opposite — expresses that something will not happen at any time

Usage Note

Often carries a tone of hope or wishful thinking. Common with verbs like hope, wish, dream, and plan. Unlike sometime, someday typically refers to a distant or undefined future rather than the near future.

Common Mistakes

I will see you someday next week.
I will see you sometime next week.
'someday' cannot refer to a specific time frame like 'next week'; use 'sometime' instead.

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Someday, one day, eventually, ultimately, and sometime all refer to a future time, but they differ in tone and precision. Someday (common, neutral-to-hopeful) points to an unknown but anticipated moment, often tied to a personal wish: 'Someday I'll write a novel.' One day is the most versatile — it works for past ('One day I met her') and future ('One day you'll understand'), and feels slightly more dramatic or storytelling in tone. Eventually implies the outcome follows a process or delay: 'After years of work, she eventually became a doctor.' Ultimately is more formal and suggests a final result after many stages: 'Ultimately, the decision rests with the board.' Sometime is the vaguest and most neutral — it simply means 'at an unspecified time,' with no emotional colour: 'Let's have lunch sometime.' Choose someday when you want to express a personal dream; choose one day for a broader or more narrative future; choose eventually for a logical sequence; choose ultimately for a formal conclusion; choose sometime for casual, emotion-free plans.

someday ↗one day ↗eventually ↗ultimately ↗sometime ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • someday soon
  • someday maybe
  • hope to someday
  • would someday

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed by combining the adjective 'some' (meaning 'an unknown or unspecified') with the noun 'day'. The single-word form 'someday' appeared in the 19th century, originally as two words ('some day') before gradually fusing into a single adverb. It was modelled on older compound adverbs like 'sometimes' and 'somewhere.'