early

¹

[ ur-lee ]

adverb

, ear·li·er, ear·li·est.

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.

adjective

, ear·li·er, ear·li·est.

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 ear·lies.

1. a fruit or vegetable that appears before most others of its type.

Early

²

[ ur-lee ]

noun

1. Ju·bal Anderson [joo, -b, uh, l], 1816–94, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.

early

/ 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. at the earliest
   not before the time or date mentioned
6. early days
   too soon to tell how things will turn out

adverb

1. before the expected or usual time
2. near the first part of a period or sequence

   I was talking to him earlier

Derived Forms

• ˈearliness, noun

Other Words From

• earli·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of early¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of early¹

Old English ǣrlīce, from ǣr ere + -līce -ly ²; related to Old Norse arliga

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. early on, with but little time elapsed; early in the course of a process, project, etc.; early in the game.

More idioms and phrases containing early

• bright and early

Example Sentences

Instead, he was joining other teachers sweeping up material from an early morning fire underneath the stadium bleachers that severely damaged the press box.

From Los Angeles Times

In a study released earlier this month, the National Retail Federation said prices on products that rely heavily on imports, such as electronics, toys, clothing, furniture, household appliances and travel goods, would likely increase.

From Salon

Additionally, House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled over the weekend that appropriations decisions might be deferred to early 2025.

From Salon

Despite his early stint in sports journalism, he once said: "Sport is my hobby and keeps me sane. I didn't want it to be my job. I always wanted sport to just be sport."

From BBC

Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 at the age of 15, will be the first millennial - a person born in the early 1980s to late 1990s - to be canonised by the Catholic church.

From BBC

Related Words

• directly
• first
• promptly
• recently
• right away
• soon
• timely