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earlier

  • comparative
    of early.
    early
    adverb
    in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc..
  • a word form of early.
    early
    adverb
    in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc..

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.

See Examples For:

But the inquiry has been examining whether alarm bells should have started ringing earlier, for example in June 2015 after three babies died in quick succession.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Reiner won a posthumous Emmy for guest actor in a comedy series for his work on “The Bear” earlier this month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

The production of lithium-ion batteries, industrial robots and 3-D printing equipment jumped by 57.2%, 34.6% and 29.9%, respectively, from a year earlier in August.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

However, earlier this month the government published an Urgent Crown Development application.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

“Your behavior earlier was less than exemplary,” Handsome scolded.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el