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

But consider this: She invested much more money than the early bird, made regular contributions for a much longer period, yet still lagged her counterpart by more than $14,000.

From New York Times

All these factors, and many others, could explain the decreased risk for depression, and not the fact of being an early bird.

From New York Times

Capitol Hill Block Party never really seemed “on” this year, as the usual spring period when the lineup rolls out and early bird tickets go on sale quietly came and went.

From Seattle Times

“Hedge funds and retail will probably be the early birds in these new stocks - probably buying into them pretty heavily - which shouldn’t be a clear indication of how they will be in the longer term.”

From Reuters