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

Many real estate agents prefer to review and customize outputs early on. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025

Despite the lopsided scoring of this game early on, things wouldn’t be over quite yet. —Chris Winters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025

This is especially helpful early on in the NFL season, when results are not as predictable. —Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025

As this beat writer has previously pointed out, Evero’s history has been partial to playing veterans early on in a season. —Mike Kaye september 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for early on

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• chitosan
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon

Kids Definition

early on

adverb

: at or during an early point or stage

had decided early on not to accept