early
in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc.: early in the year.
in the early part of the morning: to get up early.
before the usual or appointed time; ahead of time: They came early and found their hosts still dressing.
far back in time: The Greeks early learned to sail and navigate.
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.
occurring before the usual or appointed time: an early dinner.
belonging to a period far back in time: early French architecture.
occurring in the near future: I look forward to an early reply.
(of a fruit or vegetable) appearing or maturing before most others of its type: early apples.
a fruit or vegetable that appears before most others of its type.
Idioms about early
early on, with but little time elapsed; early in the course of a process, project, etc.; early in the game.
Origin of early
1Other words for early
Other words from early
- ear·li·ness, noun
Words Nearby early
Other definitions for Early (2 of 2)
Ju·bal Anderson [joo-buhl], /ˈdʒu bəl/, 1816–94, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use early in a sentence
When cities started adding chlorine to their water supplies, in the early 1900s, it set off public outcry.
It’s cool because Trenchmouth opened for Green Day in the early ‘90s in Wisconsin.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAt first—it was the early stages of reporting—I was amused at having been so crassly underestimated.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 | Vicky Ward | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTearly on, the sexual protagonist complains that her Molson-drinking husband is pretty much an incompetent Neanderthal.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits | Emily Shire | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTDetectives with a fugitive task force caught up with Polanco and a friend on a Bronx street in the early afternoon.
The "new world" was really found in the wonder-years of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockWhen his lordship retired early, as was his custom, the other men adjourned once more to the billiard-room.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsIn the early stages of chronic nephritis, when diagnosis is difficult, it is usually normal.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddHe was in early life a shipcarpenter, and subsequently American consul at Antwerp.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellHamo in alluding to the early cultivation of tobacco by the colony, says, that John Rolfe was the pioneer tobacco planter.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
British Dictionary definitions for early
/ (ˈɜːlɪ) /
before the expected or usual time
occurring in or characteristic of the first part of a period or sequence
occurring in or characteristic of a period far back in time
occurring in the near future
at the earliest not before the time or date mentioned
early days too soon to tell how things will turn out
before the expected or usual time
near the first part of a period or sequence: I was talking to him earlier
Origin of early
1Derived forms of early
- earliness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with early
In addition to the idioms beginning with early
- early bird catches the worm
- early on
- early to bed, early to rise (makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise)
also see:
- bright and early
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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