already
Americanadverb
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by this or that time; prior to or at some specified or implied time; previously.
When we came in, we found they had already arrived.
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now; so soon; so early.
Is it noon already?
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Informal. (used as an intensifier to express exasperation or impatience).
Let's go already!
adverb
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by or before a stated or implied time
he is already here
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at a time earlier than expected
is it ten o'clock already?
Commonly Confused
Although already and all ready are often indistinguishable in speech, the written forms have distinct meanings and uses. The phrase all ready means “entirely ready” or “prepared” ( I was all ready to leave on vacation ). Already means “previously” ( The plane had already left the airport ) or “so soon” ( Is it lunchtime already? ).
Etymology
Origin of already
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English al redy “all ready”; what originally meant “completely ( all ) ready” and modified the subject ( The porter all ready was there ) was taken adverbially as modifying the predicate ( The porter already was there, meaning “from an earlier time”)
Explanation
Things that happened already are in the past, as in "Stop nagging me! I already cleaned my room." If you did something already, you did it in the past, whether an hour ago or a year ago. A team trying for its second championship already won a championship. A kid who ate cake first has already eaten dessert. If you've never done it, then you can't say you already did it. This word often gets used in exasperated tones, as in "Take out the garbage! I already told you ten times!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Already colleges and states have said they’re launching their own loan programs in response to the federal government’s tightening of graduate lending.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026
Already, Finra had a reputation for having a lighter touch than federal regulators.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
"Already being on the team, there is a little bit of an anxiety factor," says McElaney.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
It’s why we didn’t name it “the States of America That Were Already United.”
From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026
Already, however, there was a counterargument brewing in the recesses of my own conscience.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
