earlier; earliest
1
a
: near the beginning of a period of time
awoke early in the morning
b
: near the beginning of a course, process, or series
early in his senatorial career
2
a
: before the usual or expected time
the train arrived early
b
archaic
: soon
c
: sooner than related forms
these apples bear early
earlier; earliest
1
a
: of, relating to, or occurring near the beginning of a period of time, a development, or a series
in the early evening
the early symptoms of the disease
b(1)
: distant in past time
(2)
: primitive
early tools
2
a
: occurring before the usual or expected time
an early arrival
b
: occurring in the near future
at your earliest convenience
c
: maturing or producing sooner than related forms
an early peach
earliness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of early in a Sentence
Adverb
Early in his career he moved to the city.
a word first recorded early in the 17th century
They were trailing by a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The package should be arriving early next week.
She arrived early to help with the preparations.
I got up early to finish packing.
Adjective
the early symptoms of the disease
The early part of the book is better than the later part.
We had an early spring this year.
We're early. The show doesn't start for half an hour.
I've always been an early riser.
Recent Examples on the Web
Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2024
William Eklund played as the Sharks’ second-line center for a short period earlier this year but had his share of struggles, and Quinn decided to move Kunin back into that role.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Disney earlier this year announced tje $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Her album My Stupid Life released earlier this year.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
In addition, Wilson will team up with Brooks & Dunn and Sammy Hagar to sing in tribute to the late Toby Keith, who died of stomach cancer at age 62 earlier this year in February.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Gardner awkwardly enters the wide shot early for the LFNY.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
The incident took place after the singer had performed four back-to-back concerts in Sydney that week and three shows in Melbourne earlier that month.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The first program of its kind for an HBCU (historically Black colleges and universities), Spelman's new cosmetic chemistry curriculum was announced earlier this month and, according to a press release, will focus on product formulation and development.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 27 Mar. 2024
Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
This upheaval is something millennials will be familiar with—many of them were early in their careers when the financial crisis of 2008 hit.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
In Denmark the drinking culture is heavy, and the next step is to experiment with drugs from an early age.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Scientists began to understand why in the early 1900s.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
Sadio Mané did score for Al-Nassr following Ronaldo’s departure, but earlier goals from Salem Al-Dawsari and Malcom gave Al-Hilal a 2-1 victory.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Branson’s fortune peaked at almost $8 billion in early 2021 as record-low interest rates fueled a pandemic bull market.
—Ben Stupples, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
Since the early 1900s, the brand has proven itself as a premier developer of stopwatches and dashboard timers for prestigious institutions like the Olympic Games and Ferrari.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Nguyen says that in early meetings, producers were uneasy about his insistence that the show center Vietnamese people speaking Vietnamese.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Adverb
Cleveland Cleveland will have lots of clouds early in the day.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2024
William Eklund played as the Sharks’ second-line center for a short period earlier this year but had his share of struggles, and Quinn decided to move Kunin back into that role.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Disney earlier this year announced tje $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Her album My Stupid Life released earlier this year.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
In addition, Wilson will team up with Brooks & Dunn and Sammy Hagar to sing in tribute to the late Toby Keith, who died of stomach cancer at age 62 earlier this year in February.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Gardner awkwardly enters the wide shot early for the LFNY.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
The incident took place after the singer had performed four back-to-back concerts in Sydney that week and three shows in Melbourne earlier that month.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The first program of its kind for an HBCU (historically Black colleges and universities), Spelman's new cosmetic chemistry curriculum was announced earlier this month and, according to a press release, will focus on product formulation and development.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 27 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Federal judges have begun ordering the early release pending appeal of Jan. 6 defendants who challenged their sentences even though the Supreme Court is a week away from hearing arguments on whether a key charge brought against them is legally sound.
—Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
This upheaval is something millennials will be familiar with—many of them were early in their careers when the financial crisis of 2008 hit.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
In Denmark the drinking culture is heavy, and the next step is to experiment with drugs from an early age.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Scientists began to understand why in the early 1900s.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
Sadio Mané did score for Al-Nassr following Ronaldo’s departure, but earlier goals from Salem Al-Dawsari and Malcom gave Al-Hilal a 2-1 victory.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Branson’s fortune peaked at almost $8 billion in early 2021 as record-low interest rates fueled a pandemic bull market.
—Ben Stupples, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
Since the early 1900s, the brand has proven itself as a premier developer of stopwatches and dashboard timers for prestigious institutions like the Olympic Games and Ferrari.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Nguyen says that in early meetings, producers were uneasy about his insistence that the show center Vietnamese people speaking Vietnamese.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'early.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing early
Dictionary Entries Near early
Cite this Entry
“Early.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/early. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
early
1 of 2 adverb
ear·ly
ˈər-lē 
earlier; earliest
1
: near the beginning of a period of time or of a process or series
woke up early
2
: before the usual or expected time
arrived early
early
2 of 2 adjective
earlier; earliest
1
a
: of, relating to, or occurring near the beginning of a period of time, a development, or a series
in the early evening
b
: primitive
early art forms
2
a
: occurring before the usual or expected time
had an early winter
b
: maturing or producing sooner than related forms
an early peach
earliness
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on early
Nglish: Translation of early for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of early for Arabic Speakers
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