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.
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.
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
not before the time or date mentioned
too soon to tell how things will turn out
before the expected or usual time
near the first part of a period or sequence
I was talking to him earlier
First recorded before 950; Middle English erlich (adjective), erliche (adverb), Old English ǣrlīc, ǣrlīce, variant of ārlīc, ārlīce, from ār “soon, early” ( see ere) + līc(e) -ly
Something that's early happens right at the beginning of some specific time period, or before you expect it to happen. An early party guest shows up before the party starts. An early riser gets up with the sun every morning, and you might eat an early dinner at five in the evening. If you're in your early twenties, you're closer to 20 than 30, while the early 20th century was the time period before 1950. If a baby comes early, she's born before her expected due date. The Old English source is ærlice, "early," which comes from ær, "soon" or "ere."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While low early Democratic voter turnout alarmed party leaders, it increased in the lead-up to the primary.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
It is too early to say whether the yeast is harming the mummy, Sarhan said, calling for more research.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Maria Lou Calanche, executive director of the nonprofit Expanded Learning Alliance, trailed Hernandez, according to early returns.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
By the time the public gets a chance to buy in, many of the biggest gains -- the kind that made early Google or Amazon investors rich -- may already be history.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
She’d probably got up early to go for a walk and calm down.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
