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 During the debate, Mr. Biden, 81, stumbled early on, flubbing lines as his voice appeared ready to give out. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 11 July 2024 The fire, believed to have been triggered by fireworks, broke out on Friday night and devoured nearly 300,000 square metres of the island’s pine forest before fire fighters doused the flames early on Saturday. Reuters, CNN, 27 June 2024 Though today fans know him as Dr. Atticus Lincoln on Grey's Anatomy, early on in his career, Chris Carmack posed for Abercrombie. Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 26 June 2024 According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, most spots should remain dry early on Wednesday morning. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 26 June 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 27 Jul. 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
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