sooner

1 of 2

noun

soon·​er ˈsü-nər 

plural sooners

1

: a person settling on land in the early West before its official opening to settlement in order to gain the prior claim allowed by law to the first settler after official opening

2

Sooner plural Sooners : a native or resident of Oklahoma

—used as a nickname

sooner

2 of 2

comparative of soon

Examples of sooner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Sooners sixth-year guard Nijel Pack scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, which included 6 for 11 from three-point range. —Matt Byrne, Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026

Mitchell had missed a layup, and Mizzou’s Trent Pierce fouled OU’s Tae Davis, who sunk a pair of free throws to put the Sooners’ lead at three, 81-78. —Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2026

But the Playoff also showed that a running game is still key, and who knows if the Sooners will have that. —Seth Emerson, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2026

In his second season, the Sooners finished undefeated, and won their first national title since 1985. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

sooner, comparative of soon

First Known Use

Noun

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sooner

• no sooner
• no sooner said than done
• no sooner than
• sooner or later
• sooner rather than later
• would sooner

Rhymes for sooner

• lunar
• schooner
• spooner
• tuner
• lacunar
• semilunar