earlier; earliest
1
a
: near the beginning of a period of time
awoke early in the morning
b
: near the beginning of a course, process, or series
early in his senatorial career
2
a
: before the usual or expected time
the train arrived early
b
archaic
: soon
c
: sooner than related forms
these apples bear early
earlier; earliest
1
a
: of, relating to, or occurring near the beginning of a period of time, a development, or a series
in the early evening
the early symptoms of the disease
b(1)
: distant in past time
(2)
: primitive
early tools
2
a
: occurring before the usual or expected time
an early arrival
b
: occurring in the near future
at your earliest convenience
c
: maturing or producing sooner than related forms
an early peach
earliness
noun
Examples of early in a Sentence
Adverb
Early in his career he moved to the city.
a word first recorded early in the 17th century
They were trailing by a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The package should be arriving early next week.
She arrived early to help with the preparations.
I got up early to finish packing.
Adjective
the early symptoms of the disease
The early part of the book is better than the later part.
We had an early spring this year.
We're early. The show doesn't start for half an hour.
I've always been an early riser.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
While the Harvard survey doesn’t name specific causes, many young Americans may be feeling the squeeze from persistently high inflation and the resumption of student loan payments — especially those still early in their careers, when earnings tend to be lower.
—Mike Winters, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025
Mike Snider, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
Tiger, who played college football at Princeton, was one of the 14 victims killed in the early hours of New Year's Day on Bourbon Street.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for early
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adverb
The Milwaukee Bucks have fallen behind early in each of the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
While the Harvard survey doesn’t name specific causes, many young Americans may be feeling the squeeze from persistently high inflation and the resumption of student loan payments — especially those still early in their careers, when earnings tend to be lower.
—Mike Winters, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
As German immigrants came to the U.S., pretzels became a staple here in the early 1700s.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
Tiger, who played college football at Princeton, was one of the 14 victims killed in the early hours of New Year's Day on Bourbon Street.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for early
Cite this Entry
“Early.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/early. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
early
1 of 2 adverb
ear·ly
ˈər-lē 
earlier; earliest
1
: near the beginning of a period of time or of a process or series
woke up early
2
: before the usual or expected time
arrived early
early
2 of 2 adjective
earlier; earliest
1
a
: of, relating to, or occurring near the beginning of a period of time, a development, or a series
in the early evening
b
: primitive
early art forms
2
a
: occurring before the usual or expected time
had an early winter
b
: maturing or producing sooner than related forms
an early peach
earliness
noun
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