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

To reconstruct that earlier landscape, the research team examined 61 sediment cores taken from inside and around the temple grounds and analyzed tens of thousands of ceramic fragments.

From Science Daily

One might expect particles in this early phase to behave very differently.

From Science Daily

They argued that this transfer could only have occurred early in Earth's history, before the planet developed a magnetic field.

From Science Daily

Although more work is needed to fully explore what HHS can reveal in liquids, the early results are encouraging.

From Science Daily

An international research team led by scientists from La Trobe University in Australia and the University of Cambridge is questioning how one of the most complete early human fossils has been classified.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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