as soon as
Idioms-
When, just after, as in Please call me as soon as dinner is ready , or As soon as the sun goes down, the temperature drops dramatically . [Late 1200s]
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At the earliest moment that, as in Telephone me as soon as you can . It often takes the form as soon as possible , meaning at the earliest possible moment, as in He'll finish the work as soon as possible . This expression employs possible in the sense of “if it can or could be,” a usage dating from the late 1600s.
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.
Among the new deportees, there are fears "they could all be deported back to their countries as soon as tomorrow", Yoon said.
From Barron's • May 30, 2026
The league could begin as soon as October 2027 with up to 16 teams hosted in major cities in England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Turkey.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
She has scaled back her gym membership, bought a coffee machine to cut out her daily Starbucks trips and does everything possible to pay her balance as soon as her paycheck hits her bank account.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
Recent reports suggest OpenAI plans to soon file confidentially for an initial public offering, which could lead the company to go public as soon as September.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
“You can have a drink of water as soon as we reach the camper.”
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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.
