sooner

1
[ soo-ner ]
See synonyms for sooner on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. the comparative form of soon.

  2. within a shorter period:That day will come sooner than you think.

  1. earlier:I just wish I'd done it sooner.

  2. in preference to something else; more willingly or readily; rather:We might sooner trust the wind than trust our own frail resolutions.

  3. more likely or easily:It's a color you might sooner expect to find on a Lamborghini than on a BMW.

Idioms about sooner

  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.: Compare rather (def. 9).

Origin of sooner

1
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English soner(e), sonor(e), sonre; soon + -er5

Words Nearby sooner

Other definitions for sooner (2 of 3)

sooner2
[ soo-ner ]

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.

Origin of sooner

2
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; soon + -er1

Other definitions for Sooner (3 of 3)

Sooner
[ soo-ner ]

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sooner in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sooner

sooner

/ (ˈsuːnə) /


adverb
  1. the comparative of soon he came sooner than I thought

  2. rather; in preference: I'd sooner die than give up

  1. no sooner…than immediately after or when: no sooner had he got home than the rain stopped; no sooner said than done

  2. sooner or later eventually; inevitably

usage For sooner

When is sometimes used instead of than after no sooner, but this use is generally regarded as incorrect: no sooner had he arrived than (not when) the telephone rang

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012