early

¹ American  

[ur-lee] / ˈɜr li /

adverb

earlier, earliest

1. in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc..

   early in the year.

2. in the early part of the morning.

   to get up early.

3. before the usual or appointed time; ahead of time.

   They came early and found their hosts still dressing.

4. far back in time.

   The Greeks early learned to sail and navigate.

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adjective

earlier, earliest

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   initial

2. occurring before the usual or appointed time.

   an early dinner.

   Synonyms:

   premature, beforehand

3. belonging to a period far back in time.

   early French architecture.

4. occurring in the near future.

   I look forward to an early reply.

5. (of a fruit or vegetable) appearing or maturing before most others of its type.

   early apples.

noun

plural

earlies

1. a fruit or vegetable that appears before most others of its type.

idioms

1. early on, with but little time elapsed; early in the course of a process, project, etc.; early in the game.

Early ² American  

[ur-lee] / ˈɜr li /

noun

1. Jubal Anderson 1816–94, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.

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early British  

/ ˈɜːlɪ /

adjective

1. before the expected or usual time

2. occurring in or characteristic of the first part of a period or sequence

3. occurring in or characteristic of a period far back in time

4. occurring in the near future

5. not before the time or date mentioned

6. too soon to tell how things will turn out

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adverb

1. before the expected or usual time

2. near the first part of a period or sequence

   I was talking to him earlier

early More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing early

• bright and early

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Other Word Forms

• earliness noun

Etymology

Origin of early

First recorded before 950; Middle English erlich (adjective), erliche (adverb), Old English ǣrlīc, ǣrlīce, variant of ārlīc, ārlīce, from ār “soon, early” ( ere ) + līc(e) -ly

Example Sentences

Manus turned down some local governments in China who wanted to invest in the company last year, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier.

From MarketWatch

His career ran into further trouble earlier this year, when Rourke was asked to leave the “Celebrity Big Brother” house in the U.K. for displaying what producers referred to as “unacceptable behavior.”

From MarketWatch

Others might say you’ve freed them up to save for retirement earlier and enjoy their lives free from such burdens.

From MarketWatch

“This poll is an early warning sign of unease, even among the wealthy,” she said.

From MarketWatch

The data tallies with a mildly improved outlook of private-sector employment from S&P Global’s purchasing manufacturers’ eurozone survey, published earlier this week.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• beforehand
• briefly
• directly
• immediately
• prematurely
• previous
• promptly
• quick
• shortly
• soon
• too soon
• unexpectedly