sooner or later

adverb

: at some uncertain future time : sometime

Examples of sooner or later in a Sentence

sooner or later, the police are going to track down the burglar
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Firms that fail at this relentless obligation go out of business sooner or later, freeing up resources that can be used more productively. Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025 But fast growth doesn’t last forever, and sooner or later, those cracks get bigger. Hope Horner, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025 Some earlier experiments hinted at temporary slowdowns in heating, but sooner or later the atoms always absorbed energy and lost their coherence. Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2025 But sooner or later the fundamentals will take charge, and then, watch out for flying glass. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sooner or later

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sooner or later was in 1577

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Cite this Entry

“Sooner or later.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sooner%20or%20later. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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