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
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
Matt Donnelly, Variety, 1 Apr. 2025
And McCain, who just turned 21 in February, hinted at star upside early in his rookie season before his knee injury.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Carla K. Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025
Officials said approximately 10,000 jobs will be cut through layoffs, with an additional 10,000 positions eliminated via early retirements and voluntary separations.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for early
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adverb
Boyle shared a full second trailer exclusively with the exhibitors, which significantly ratchets up the terror from a teaser shared earlier this year.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 1 Apr. 2025
And McCain, who just turned 21 in February, hinted at star upside early in his rookie season before his knee injury.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The layoffs are expected to shrink HHS to 62,000 positions, lopping off nearly a quarter of its staff — 10,000 jobs through layoffs and another 10,000 workers who took early retirement and voluntary separation offers.
—Carla K. Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025
Officials said approximately 10,000 jobs will be cut through layoffs, with an additional 10,000 positions eliminated via early retirements and voluntary separations.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for early
Cite this Entry
“Early.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/early. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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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