early

¹

[ur-lee]

adverb

earlier, earliest 

1. in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc..

   early in the year.

2. in the early part of the morning.

   to get up early.

3. before the usual or appointed time; ahead of time.

   They came early and found their hosts still dressing.

4. far back in time.

   The Greeks early learned to sail and navigate.

adjective

earlier, earliest 

1. occurring in the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc..

   an early hour of the day.

   Synonyms: initial

2. occurring before the usual or appointed time.

   an early dinner.

   Synonyms: premature, beforehand

3. belonging to a period far back in time.

   early French architecture.

4. occurring in the near future.

   I look forward to an early reply.

5. (of a fruit or vegetable) appearing or maturing before most others of its type.

   early apples.

noun

plural

earlies 

1. a fruit or vegetable that appears before most others of its type.

Early

²

[ur-lee]

noun

1. Jubal Anderson 1816–94, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.

early

/ ˈɜːlɪ /

adjective

1. before the expected or usual time

2. occurring in or characteristic of the first part of a period or sequence

3. occurring in or characteristic of a period far back in time

4. occurring in the near future

5. not before the time or date mentioned

6. too soon to tell how things will turn out

adverb

1. before the expected or usual time

2. near the first part of a period or sequence

   I was talking to him earlier

Other Word Forms

• earliness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of early¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English erlich (adjective), erliche (adverb), Old English ǣrlīc, ǣrlīce, variant of ārlīc, ārlīce, from ār “soon, early” ( ere ) + līc(e) -ly

Word History and Origins

Origin of early¹

Old English ǣrlīce, from ǣr _ere + -līce _-ly ²; related to Old Norse arliga

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. early on, with but little time elapsed; early in the course of a process, project, etc.; early in the game.

More idioms and phrases containing early

• bright and early

Example Sentences

Rayner quit the cabinet after admitting she had underpaid stamp duty when buying a flat earlier this year.

From BBC

The cemetery has already been heavily damaged by bombardments earlier in the conflict, with a crater left by a previous strike also visible.

From BBC

The Reform leader took to the stage for his keynote conference speech three hours earlier than planned after Rayner announced her resignation.

From BBC

In the global bond markets, the rates that investors demand for borrowing dropped sharply, reversing a surge earlier in the week, as confidence grew in a Fed rate cut.

From BBC

Unless the Blues and Sterling reach an agreement over a severance package for the £30m remaining on his contract, the earliest we are likely to see the England international play first-team football again is January.

From BBC

Related Words

• beforehand 
• briefly 
• directly 
• immediately 
• prematurely www.thesaurus.com
• previous 
• promptly 
• quick 
• shortly 
• soon 
• too soon www.thesaurus.com
• unexpectedly