as in ahead
so as to precede something in order of time
he had arrived earlier to take care of some preliminary matters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earlier
Adverb
-
Pereira connected for a solo home run in the eighth inning Wednesday, putting the Sox briefly ahead 3-2.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026 -
In a letter to commissioners on Wednesday afternoon, Babby set the stakes for the workshop and the weeks ahead.—
Nicolas Villamil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Making his debut with the Blue Jays after signing as a free agent earlier this month, Patrick Corbin allowed four runs and six hits, including two home runs, in four innings.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
As early as 1888, Kansas City was reported to have a hundred mandolin clubs, and, by the turn of the century, all the major East Coast cities had mandolin orchestras.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
In other words, moviegoers at the Alamo Drafthouse are now explicitly but inexplicably required to use their phones both before — and during!—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The speech in which it is proposed is one full of celebrations of American engineers, scientists and generals who have come before, and Americanness is key to its realization.—
Anastasia Klimchynskaya,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
And this year, thousands of people have already bought tickets to be a part of it.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, was already in Islamabad.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Kenya has previously fined Belgian teenagers who were found in possession of queen ants, which are used as delicacies and kept as pets in Europe and Asia.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Authorities previously told local media that he was not suspected of wrongdoing.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Earlier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earlier. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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