early

[ ur-lee ]
See synonyms for early on Thesaurus.com
adverb,ear·li·er, ear·li·est.
  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.

  1. before the usual or appointed time; ahead of time: They came early and found their hosts still dressing.

  2. far back in time: The Greeks early learned to sail and navigate.

adjective,ear·li·er, ear·li·est.
  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.

  2. occurring before the usual or appointed time: an early dinner.

  1. belonging to a period far back in time: early French architecture.

  2. occurring in the near future: I look forward to an early reply.

  3. (of a fruit or vegetable) appearing or maturing before most others of its type: early apples.

noun,plural ear·lies.
  1. a fruit or vegetable that appears before most others of its type.

Idioms about early

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

Origin of early

1
First recorded before 950; Middle English erlich (adjective), erliche (adverb), Old English ǣrlīc, ǣrlīce, variant of ārlīc, ārlīce, from ār “soon, early” (see ere) + līc(e) -ly

Other words for early

Other words from early

  • ear·li·ness, noun

Other definitions for Early (2 of 2)

Early
[ ur-lee ]

noun
  1. 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

British Dictionary definitions for early

early

/ (ˈɜːlɪ) /


adjective-lier or -liest
  1. before the expected or usual time

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

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

  2. occurring in the near future

  3. at the earliest not before the time or date mentioned

  4. early days too soon to tell how things will turn out

adverb-lier
  1. before the expected or usual time

  2. near the first part of a period or sequence: I was talking to him earlier

Origin of early

1
Old English ǣrlīce, from ǣr ere + -līce -ly ²; related to Old Norse arliga

Derived 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

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.