1
: prior to a specified or implied past, present, or future time : by this time : previously
He had already left when I called.
2
—used as an intensive
All right already.
Enough already!
Examples of already in a Sentence
They've already agreed to come.
I'd already left by the time you called.
He acted as if he didn't already know.
Flight 102 will already have taken off by the time Flight 101 lands.
Have they arrived already?! I'm still not dressed!
Do you have to go already?
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump has already slashed the FEMA workforce by 20% during his second term and kept top positions at the agency — including the administrator overseeing the region Illinois is part of — vacant.
—
Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026
All this will rankle many, particularly young people, who are less likely to own their own homes and whose support for the monarchy is already in decline.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 14 June 2026
Data from the digital flight tracking company FlightAware shows the plane had already completed two short flights on Sunday before the crash.
—ABC News, 14 June 2026
Many Democratic voters this year waited to turn in their ballots due to the crowded pool of gubernatorial candidates, which probably exacerbated the already-slow process.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for already
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Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026
All this will rankle many, particularly young people, who are less likely to own their own homes and whose support for the monarchy is already in decline.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 14 June 2026
Data from the digital flight tracking company FlightAware shows the plane had already completed two short flights on Sunday before the crash.
—ABC News, 14 June 2026
Many Democratic voters this year waited to turn in their ballots due to the crowded pool of gubernatorial candidates, which probably exacerbated the already-slow process.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for already
Cite this Entry
“Already.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/already. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
already
adverb
al·ready
ȯl-ˈred-ē 
ˈȯl-ˌred-ē
: before a certain time : by the time
I had already left when you called
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