sometimes

sometimes — adverb

1. on particular occasions, but not every time or in every situation

1.adverbA2
Definition

on particular occasions, but not every time or in every situation

Example

Pim sometimes walks to work when the weather is nice.

sometimes + simple present for habitual occasion

The night-shift nurse sometimes brings homemade cookies for the whole team.

Common collocations
  • sometimes + simple tense
  • sometimes + verb 'be'
  • Sometimes, ... (sentence-initial)
  • sometimes...sometimes...
Synonyms
  • occasionally

    very similar in meaning; 'occasionally' may suggest a slightly lower frequency or more irregular intervals

  • at times

    slightly more formal; interchangeable in most contexts

  • now and then

    informal; suggests infrequent, irregular occurrence

  • from time to time

    neutral register; slightly more emphatic than 'sometimes'

Antonyms
  • always

    opposite frequency — every time

  • never

    opposite frequency — no time at all

  • often

    contrast — 'often' implies a higher frequency than 'sometimes'

Grammar Patterns

sometimes + simple present

sometimes + simple past

Sometimes, [clause]

Usage Note

Position varies: before the main verb ('She sometimes arrives late'), after the verb 'be' ('The trains are sometimes delayed'), or at the front of the sentence ('Sometimes I wonder why'). In American English, fronted position is slightly less common than mid-position.

Common Mistakes

I sometimes am going to the gym.
I sometimes go to the gym.
'sometimes' is used with simple tenses, not continuous tenses, for habitual actions.
She is sometimes being late.
She is sometimes late.
with the verb 'be', 'sometimes' goes directly after 'be', not with a continuous form.

sometimes — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four alternatives indicate that something happens on some occasions but not regularly. 'Sometimes' is the most neutral and frequent — it works in nearly any register or context. 'Occasionally' carries a slight implication of irregular intervals: something that happens at unpredictable, scattered moments. 'At times' is slightly more formal and often used in writing to suggest a contrast with usual behavior ('At times, he could be remarkably generous'). 'Now and then' and 'from time to time' are idiomatic and sound more conversational; 'now and then' suggests the lowest frequency of the group. For example: 'I sometimes drink coffee in the afternoon' is a simple factual statement. 'I have a cappuccino now and then' sounds like an occasional treat that you don't have often.

occasionally ↗at timesnow and thenfrom time to time

Common collocations

Phrases

  • sometimes...sometimes... (contrastive parallel structure)
  • and sometimes
  • but sometimes
  • if sometimes

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

From Middle English 'sumtymes' (sometimes written as 'sum tymes'), literally meaning 'at some times'. The word was formed by combining 'some' (an unspecified amount or number) with 'time', plus the '-s' suffix. This '-s' ending was a common way to form adverbs of time and manner in Middle English — you can see the same pattern in words like 'always', 'nights' (as in 'works nights'), and 'weekdays'. The adjective sense ('former') developed later as a shortened form of the longer phrase 'some time ago' used attributively.