early
[ur-lee]
- in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc.: early in the year.
- in the early part of the morning: to get up early.
- before the usual or appointed time; ahead of time: They came early and found their hosts still dressing.
- far back in time: The Greeks early learned to sail and navigate.
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- 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.
- occurring before the usual or appointed time: an early dinner.
- belonging to a period far back in time: early French architecture.
- occurring in the near future: I look forward to an early reply.
- (of a fruit or vegetable) appearing or maturing before most others of its type: early apples.
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- a fruit or vegetable that appears before most others of its type.
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- early on, with but little time elapsed; early in the course of a process, project, etc.; early in the game.
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Origin of early
Synonyms
See more synonyms for early on Thesaurus.com5. initial. 6. beforehand, premature.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for earliest
Contemporary Examples
She adds that some of the earliest voting booths were stationed inside drinking establishments.
Hitchcock saw the work of, and probably met, Murnau, the great German filmmaker--the earliest master of bleak light and shadow.
Indeed the earliest vaccinations against small pox were done 1,000 years ago in China.
One of her earliest memories of life in the Bronx is visiting the library with her mother and sister.
One of the earliest ticker-tape parades was for Teddy Roosevelt when he returned from an African safari in 1910.
It’s Time for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans to Get a Parade of Their OwnMichael Daly
November 11, 2014
Historical Examples
The earliest inhabitants of the world did not know what it was.
Ancient ManHendrik Willem van Loon
They were Europeans, and their earliest home had been in the Isle of Crete.
Ancient ManHendrik Willem van Loon
Was it not thus he had been from earliest childhood taught to look at them?
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
Why, from my earliest years I had been accustomed to think of myself as plain, and had not cared.
The Bacillus of BeautyHarriet Stark
From earliest childhood I saw a good deal of them, and I know what I say.
In the ValleyHarold Frederic
early
- before the expected or usual time
- occurring in or characteristic of the first part of a period or sequence
- occurring in or characteristic of a period far back in time
- occurring in the near future
- at the earliest not before the time or date mentioned
- early days too soon to tell how things will turn out
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- before the expected or usual time
- near the first part of a period or sequenceI was talking to him earlier
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Word Origin
Old English ǣrlīce, from ǣr ere + -līce -ly ²; related to Old Norse arliga
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for earliest
early
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with earliest
early
In addition to the idioms beginning with early
- early bird catches the worm
- early on
- early to bed, early to rise (makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise)
also see:
- bright and early
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.