at the earliest

idiom

—used to indicate the earliest possible time when something will happen or be done

The job will not be finished until next year at the (very) earliest.

Examples of at the earliest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The debt commission legislation, modeled after previous efforts, would create a 16-member panel to recommend steps that could be taken to balance the federal budget at the earliest reasonable date and improve the long-term fiscal health of Medicare and Social Security. —Kevin Freking, Fortune, 11 May 2024

Given that the implementation of the new rules is likely to come in 2026 at the earliest, Ermotti signaled that UBS intends to return about $2 billion to investors over the next two years. —Myriam Balezou, Fortune Europe, 7 May 2024

But such a step isn’t expected until the end of the year at the earliest. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024

Most economists envision no rate cuts before fall at the earliest. —Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 3 May 2024

The Arizona Supreme Court’s April 9 ruling, which found that the state had to adhere to the century-old law, was not going to be enforceable until June 27 at the earliest, according to Arizona’s Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 2 May 2024

But legal sales aren't expected to begin until June at the earliest. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 19 Apr. 2024

The petitions are not expected to be publicly accessible until Monday at the earliest, but the guild notified CVS of the stores’ intentions in a letter sent to the company this week. —USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024

But that car won’t start production until 2026 at the earliest, making this year and next crucial if the company hopes to live long enough to see it. —Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 6 Mar. 2024