in earnest
idiom
1
: in an earnest or serious way
The search began in earnest when the police arrived.
After light showers during the day, it began to rain in earnest in the evening.
It's hard to tell if he's making this proposal in earnest.
2
: not fooling : serious and sincere
We thought he was joking at first, but then we realized that he was in earnest.
Examples of in earnest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The hill sits off a dirt road and takes a bit of trudging up before the dimpled geodes start appearing in earnest.
—
Npr Staff, NPR, 18 Dec. 2025
The yearly figure spikes to nearly 300,000 in 1934, then starts declining in earnest in the 1940s, when the vaccine was introduced.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 17 Dec. 2025
Southerly winds will increase in earnest on Thursday ahead of a deepening area of low pressure moving our way from the Midwest.
—Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
On the ground in Gaza, members of the Sunbirds coordinate the constant aid efforts that ramped up, in earnest, seven days after October 7, 2023.
—Devin Kelly, Outside, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in earnest
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Npr Staff, NPR, 18 Dec. 2025
The yearly figure spikes to nearly 300,000 in 1934, then starts declining in earnest in the 1940s, when the vaccine was introduced.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 17 Dec. 2025
Southerly winds will increase in earnest on Thursday ahead of a deepening area of low pressure moving our way from the Midwest.
—Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
On the ground in Gaza, members of the Sunbirds coordinate the constant aid efforts that ramped up, in earnest, seven days after October 7, 2023.
—Devin Kelly, Outside, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in earnest
Cite this Entry
“In earnest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20earnest. Accessed 22 Dec. 2025.
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