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 Energy of Supercomputing The exascale planning for JUPITER began in earnest in 2018 with the founding of the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU).
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IEEE Spectrum, 26 June 2025
The bold future of Mercedes-AMG began in earnest with the unveiling of its Concept AMG GT XX tonight.
—Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Lee began her advocacy in earnest during the mid-1970s in the Fort Worth, Texas, area.
—Timothy Welbeck, The Conversation, 16 June 2025
The work began in earnest when McFarlane returned to the mound with Low-A Clearwater and continues now during an up-and-down High-A season, his ERA sitting at 5.72 and his record 0-6 through 11 starts.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 16 June 2025
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IEEE Spectrum, 26 June 2025
The bold future of Mercedes-AMG began in earnest with the unveiling of its Concept AMG GT XX tonight.
—Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Lee began her advocacy in earnest during the mid-1970s in the Fort Worth, Texas, area.
—Timothy Welbeck, The Conversation, 16 June 2025
The work began in earnest when McFarlane returned to the mound with Low-A Clearwater and continues now during an up-and-down High-A season, his ERA sitting at 5.72 and his record 0-6 through 11 starts.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 16 June 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 1 Jul. 2025.
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