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
-
Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026 -
To make ahead, assemble the dish up to eight hours ahead, cover tightly, and refrigerate before baking.—
Marianne Williams,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Trent Perry finishes with 22 points for UCLA, which avenged a loss to the Spartans earlier this season.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
-
For example, all three versions state that the visitors arrived early and sat outside in the car, rehearsing.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Just a day before, the speaker of the Iranian parliament said such a strike would provoke a new level of retaliation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The soldiers would have stayed as sentries before and after the performance, symbolically guarding the legacy of Taiwan’s founder.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Ballard noted most of the evidence that will be discussed in April is already public, so most of the hearing should be open.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
His administration has already promised to release the nation’s oil reserves to relieve pressure and has eased sanctions on Russian oil, to the consternation of European leaders.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The Dolphins agreed to terms with tight end Ben Sims on Wednesday evening, according to a league source, after previously re-signing Greg Dulcich on Monday night.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The letter also raised concerns about foreign investment in Paramount’s offer, noting that the deal included potential financing from Chinese company Tencent Holdings, which had previously withdrawn funding due to national security review concerns.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Earlier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earlier. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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