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.
U.S. carriers aren’t scheduled to resume services to Israel until the fall at the earliest, meaning that Americans have to find other ways to get there, often transiting through Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The resulting sequence may reflect, at least in part, the order in which those reactions appeared during the earliest stages of biological evolution.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
National Highways said repairs to the A31 were not expected to be begin until Friday 14 August at the earliest.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Changing the use of a pied-à-terre to get an exemption—such as by renting it out or having an immediate family member live there—will apply next fiscal year, at the earliest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Our earliest ancestors began to walk on two feet about four million years ago, but how they were using their hands remains unknown to us.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
