at the earliest

idiom

—used to indicate the earliest possible time when something will happen or be done

The job will not be finished until next year at the (very) earliest.

Examples of at the earliest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Employees were barred from the site until Saturday at the earliest without being able to collect their cars. —Jenni Reid, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2025

So far, the Court’s only issued brief orders indicating that the justices won’t even start to consider the case until April 4 at the earliest, more than three weeks after the Trump administration asked them to intervene. —Ian Millhiser, Vox, 22 Mar. 2025

Davis isn’t expected to return to the court until mid-March at the earliest. —Christian Clark, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025

Kershaw had surgery on his left foot and knee in November and is not expected to make his season debut until May at the earliest. —Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 20 Feb. 2025