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.
Maybe all the answers have already been written, and we’re just characters in a story, trying to outwit fate.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
Nearly 12 million people have already visited so far this year, official figures show.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
Dan Sudit, a Salt Lake City-based wealth adviser and partner of Crewe Advisors, said he’s already seen users discuss how they’ve changed their spending habits because of Tuyo.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
I already stuck out, given the crazy clothes I loved making for myself.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Like you hadn’t already done that five times before asking.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
