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
The injury added to an already thin situation at linebacker for Michigan State.
—
Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
The right of return of Armenian refugees is a complicated subject, as Baku insists such a right already exists.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2025
More than half a ton has already been collected, with materials shredded and repurposed into outdoor furniture or reused in 3D printing prototypes.
—Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
While the industry is confident that Apple will indeed be replacing ESPN, with the current contract running to the end of this year, this news comes as a substantial change compared to what was already being discussed.
—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for already
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Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
The right of return of Armenian refugees is a complicated subject, as Baku insists such a right already exists.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2025
More than half a ton has already been collected, with materials shredded and repurposed into outdoor furniture or reused in 3D printing prototypes.
—Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
While the industry is confident that Apple will indeed be replacing ESPN, with the current contract running to the end of this year, this news comes as a substantial change compared to what was already being discussed.
—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for already
Cite this Entry
“Already.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/already. Accessed 27 Sep. 2025.
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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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