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
Synonyms
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
Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 18 Aug. 2024
Actor John Aprea, whose notable TV credits include Full House and Another World, died earlier this month.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 18 Aug. 2024
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 8 Aug. 2024
Decked out in the official blue and pink colors of the 2024 games, the main mansion is hosting an exhibition exploring the history of the Olympics, with artefacts such as medals dating back to the early modern games, on loan from the official Olympic Museum in Lausanne for the first time.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for early 
Adverb
Swift announced Waterhouse as one of her Eras Tour openers in London earlier this month.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 18 Aug. 2024
Actor John Aprea, whose notable TV credits include Full House and Another World, died earlier this month.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 18 Aug. 2024
Adjective
Following President Joe Biden’s lackluster debate performance just over a month ago, Democrat consumer sentiment fell to its lowest levels in over a year (82.5 in early July, down from 90.8 in June, according to data from the University of Michigan’s sentiment Index).
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 8 Aug. 2024
Decked out in the official blue and pink colors of the 2024 games, the main mansion is hosting an exhibition exploring the history of the Olympics, with artefacts such as medals dating back to the early modern games, on loan from the official Olympic Museum in Lausanne for the first time.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for early
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'early.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near early
Cite this Entry
“Early.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/early. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
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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