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
Google Cloud research found that over 55% of global organizations now adopt platform engineering in earnest, not as an experiment but as a mainstream infrastructure backbone.
—
Ian Amit, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The practice week begins in earnest on Wednesday.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
It will be tested in earnest in the November 2026 midterm elections.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Caroline conveniently grows a conscience right around the time when the couple starts robbing banks in earnest.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in earnest
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Ian Amit, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The practice week begins in earnest on Wednesday.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
It will be tested in earnest in the November 2026 midterm elections.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Caroline conveniently grows a conscience right around the time when the couple starts robbing banks in earnest.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 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 13 Sep. 2025.
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