early on

adverb

: at or during an early point or stage
the reasons were obvious early on in the experiment
Using Early on: Usage Guide

This adverb is sometimes objected to in American writing as an obtrusive Briticism. It is a relative newcomer to the language, having arisen in British English around 1928. It seems to have filled a need, however. It came into frequent use in American English in the late 1960s and is now well established on both sides of the Atlantic in both speech and writing.

Examples of early on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Economists say workers who experience career setbacks so early on face potential losses in lifetime earnings, in addition to missing out on valuable learning experiences in the first few years of a career. Bryan Mena, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024 By embracing smart infrastructure early on, firms can reduce costs, boost productivity, and position themselves as leaders in an industry undergoing significant change. Angelica Krystle Donati, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 As part of an agreement between the Israeli military and Palestinian militant group Hamas, humanitarian pauses in the year-long Gaza war had been due to begin early on Monday to reach hundreds of thousands of children. Reuters, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2024 Creating those promotional materials meant the designers had to align with the marketing department very early on in the process, to ensure everyone was working in tandem, Corral explains. Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for early on 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'early on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of early on was in 1759

Dictionary Entries Near early on

Cite this Entry

“Early on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/early%20on. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

early on

adverb
: at or during an early point or stage
had decided early on not to accept
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!