Part-time describes work or activities that take up only some of your available hours, not all of them. A part-time job might mean working fifteen hours a week instead of forty. A part-time student takes fewer classes than a full-time student, spreading their education over more years.

The opposite is full-time, which means dedicating most of your working hours to something. An adult with a full-time job typically works about forty hours per week, five days a week. Someone working part-time might work just two or three days a week, or perhaps a few hours each evening.

Students sometimes describe themselves as part-time when they're balancing school with other responsibilities. Your parents might work part-time while caring for younger siblings, or someone might take a part-time position while finishing college. Part-time work gives people flexibility to pursue other goals, though it usually means earning less money and having fewer benefits than full-time work.

The term appears in many contexts: part-time teachers, part-time volunteers, even part-time hobbies. When you hear someone say they're doing something part-time, you know it's important to them but doesn't fill up their whole schedule. It's a way of participating without making a total commitment.