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• early bird
  early bird

  noun

  a person who rises at an early hour.
• Early Bird
  Early Bird

  noun

  one of a number of communications satellites, the first of which was launched in 1965 into a stationary orbit and provided telephone channels between Europe and the US See also Intelsat

early bird

American  

noun

early birds plural

1. a person who rises at an early hour.

2. a person who arrives before others, as for the purpose of gaining some advantage.

   The early birds got the best seats for the play.

3. (initial capital letters) the first of the Intelsat series of communications satellites, orbited (1965) by Intelsat.

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Early Bird ¹ British  

noun

1. one of a number of communications satellites, the first of which was launched in 1965 into a stationary orbit and provided telephone channels between Europe and the US See also Intelsat

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early bird ² British  

noun

1. informal a person who rises early or arrives in good time

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• early birds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of early bird

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

early bird Early Bird

This is a case of the early bird losing the worm.

From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026

I headed to the workshop, housed in an airy stone barn, and found I was not the lone early bird.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026

Anna got a PDC membership so that she should buy early bird tickets in the summer, but even then it was "like a mini Oasis" in the scramble to get tickets.

From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2025

We all know that the early bird gets the worm, but new research shows they turn to something far more nutritious for their breakfast.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 12, 2024

“The early bird gets the worm,” said Nala.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

According to a report from The Daily Advocate & Early Bird News, Vance then claimed that school shootings are less common now than 15 to 20 years ago.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2024

Those two dishes, the rice rolls and the pork shumai made Early Bird worth going back for the next time the craving for breakfast dim sum strikes.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2022

The first significant step in Norman’s competitive career came in 1949, at the St. Thomas Golf and Country Club, a one-day amateur event later known as the Early Bird.

From Golf Digest ● Apr. 1, 2020

Cancel your reservation for the Early Bird Dinner as Del Mar has its Friday first post of 4 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2019

Although they live on worms, as does Mr. Early Bird of the proverb, they do their feeding by night.

From The Adventures of a Grain of Dust by Hawksworth, Hallam