early bird

American  

noun

1. a person who rises at an early hour.

2. a person who arrives before others, as for the purpose of gaining some advantage.

   The early birds got the best seats for the play.

3. (initial capital letters) the first of the Intelsat series of communications satellites, orbited (1965) by Intelsat.

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Early Bird ¹ British  

noun

1. one of a number of communications satellites, the first of which was launched in 1965 into a stationary orbit and provided telephone channels between Europe and the US See also Intelsat

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early bird ² British  

noun

1. informal a person who rises early or arrives in good time

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Etymology

Origin of early bird

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

They likely are wasting their time: the data these early birds obtain don’t provide an advantage — and may actually lead them astray.

From MarketWatch

Upon arrival, attendees can pick out personality stickers with phrases like coffee addict, plant lover and early bird.

From Los Angeles Times

Already the night was less inky than before, and the earliest of the early birds had taken to the treetops and were chirping their sunrise songs.

From Literature

“They say the early bird gets the worm. But isn’t it a bit too early for worms?”

From Literature

He claimed he had spent a year planning it, and had already sold 100 tickets at an "early bird" rate of $499.

From BBC