Early

¹ American  

[ur-lee] / ˈɜr li /

noun

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

---

early ² American  

[ur-lee] / ˈɜr li /

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.

idioms

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

early British  

/ 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

early More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing early

• bright and early

---

Other Word Forms

• earliness noun

Etymology

Origin of early

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

Example Sentences

But still, the messages kept on coming, often into the early hours of the morning.

From BBC

The early years are typically the toughest with studies suggesting relationship dissatisfaction is often highest within the first three years of a child being born.

From BBC

The creative team decided early on that a wedding ceremony would perfectly encapsulate “love, joy, connection and family,” that spans across all communities — the exact tenets that the performance centered on, Cuddeford said.

From Los Angeles Times

They more than doubled from early 2009 to the end of the year.

From Barron's

Monoclonal antibodies that are indicated for the early treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, for example, have a risk of brain hemorrhages and bleeds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• beforehand
• briefly
• directly
• immediately
• prematurely
• previous
• promptly
• quick
• shortly
• soon
• too soon
• unexpectedly