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
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
Crucially, Hamas has not yet signed onto this possible framework and any possible final deal is still, at the earliest, days away as negotiators continue to hammer out the actual details.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024
As The Verge reports, Humane now says the $699 device will head to customers in mid-April at the earliest.
—Kylie Robison, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024
And shortly thereafter, NASA said that two of its flights would be delayed until September 2025 and September 2026 at the earliest.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2024
While experts say the regulations aren’t expected to fully take effect until July of next year at the earliest, the Department of Education is considering taking actions to expedite parts of the plan, which could bring relief to some borrowers as soon as this fall.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors asked for a trial date in early July, while Trump’s lawyers asked to wait until after the election or to start in August at the earliest.
—Perry Stein, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
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
Crucially, Hamas has not yet signed onto this possible framework and any possible final deal is still, at the earliest, days away as negotiators continue to hammer out the actual details.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024
As The Verge reports, Humane now says the $699 device will head to customers in mid-April at the earliest.
—Kylie Robison, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024
And shortly thereafter, NASA said that two of its flights would be delayed until September 2025 and September 2026 at the earliest.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2024
While experts say the regulations aren’t expected to fully take effect until July of next year at the earliest, the Department of Education is considering taking actions to expedite parts of the plan, which could bring relief to some borrowers as soon as this fall.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors asked for a trial date in early July, while Trump’s lawyers asked to wait until after the election or to start in August at the earliest.
—Perry Stein, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'at the earliest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near at the earliest
Cite this Entry
“At the earliest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20earliest. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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