sooner

¹ American  

[soo-ner] / ˈsu nər /

adverb

1. the comparative form of soon.

2. within a shorter period.

   That day will come sooner than you think.

3. earlier.

   I just wish I'd done it sooner.

4. in preference to something else; more willingly or readily; rather.

   We might sooner trust the wind than trust our own frail resolutions.

5. more likely or easily.

   It's a color you might sooner expect to find on a Lamborghini than on a BMW.

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idioms

1. sooner or later, eventually.

   Sooner or later his luck will run out.

2. would sooner, to prefer to; to prefer that.

   I would sooner not go to their party.

   I'd sooner you did the recording, as you're better at it than I am.

sooner ² American  

[soo-ner] / ˈsu nər /

noun

1. a person who settles on government land before it is legally opened to settlers in order to gain the choice of location.

2. a person who gains an unfair advantage by getting ahead of others.

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Sooner ³ American  

[soo-ner] / ˈsu nər /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Oklahoma the Sooner State (used as a nickname).

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sooner British  

/ ˈsuːnə /

adverb

1. the comparative of soon

   he came sooner than I thought

2. rather; in preference

   I'd sooner die than give up

3. immediately after or when

   no sooner had he got home than the rain stopped

   no sooner said than done

4. eventually; inevitably

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Usage

What else does Sooner mean? A Sooner is a person who lives in the state of Oklahoma.It is also a nickname for students and athletes at the University of Oklahoma.

Etymology

Origin of sooner¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English soner(e), sonor(e), sonre; soon ( def. ) + -er ⁵ ( def. )

Origin of sooner²

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; soon + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Consensus estimates generally place the event sometime in the 2030s, but Google expects Q-Day to arrive even sooner.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

“It also means rivers and streams are going to dry out sooner, and that has bad implications for natural ecosystems and our fisheries,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

But Lilly has progressively integrated AI into its operations in a bid to get drugs to market sooner.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

"I'm confident we can do it and I hope with the will of everyone involved, we can do this sooner rather than later."

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

And no sooner than Duane would reply with a “That sounds like quite a high jump indeed,” Magic would have moved on to the topic of home renovations for a fox hole.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• ahead
• back
• previously
• since