already

adverb

al·​ready ȯl-ˈre-dē 

ˈȯl-ˌre-dē

1

: prior to a specified or implied past, present, or future time : by this time : previously

He had already left when I called.

2

—used as an intensive

All right already.

Enough already!

Synonyms

• afore [chiefly dialect]
• ahead
• antecedently
• anteriorly
• before
• beforehand
• earlier
• formerly
• preliminarily
• previously

Examples of already in a Sentence

They've already agreed to come.

I'd already left by the time you called.

He acted as if he didn't already know.

Flight 102 will already have taken off by the time Flight 101 lands.

Have they arrived already?! I'm still not dressed!

Do you have to go already?

Recent Examples on the Web

Joe Burrow has already attempted 29 passes, completing 17 for 161 yards and a touchdown. —NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024

Some residents also expressed reluctance to support the measure, citing the already high cost of living as their main deterrent. —Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024

Answering text messages on my Mac, adding calendar events that would show up on my iPhone, and opening browser tabs from my iPad or iPhone on my Mac in Safari was more than enough, much less everything that Continuity already enabled. —PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024

Disneyland adds a few new surprises this Christmas holiday season Many of the most scrumptious looking items on the holiday menu are plays on popular dishes already beloved by Disneylanders. —Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 7 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English al redy, from al redy, adjective, wholly ready, from al all + redy ready

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing already

• all right already

Kids Definition

already

adverb

al·​ready ȯl-ˈred-ē 

ˈȯl-ˌred-ē

: before a certain time : by the time

I had already left when you called