early on

adverb

: at or during an early point or stage

the reasons were obvious early on in the experiment

Using Early on: Usage Guide

This adverb is sometimes objected to in American writing as an obtrusive Briticism. It is a relative newcomer to the language, having arisen in British English around 1928. It seems to have filled a need, however. It came into frequent use in American English in the late 1960s and is now well established on both sides of the Atlantic in both speech and writing.

Examples of early on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Recognizing these changes early on can be difficult. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025

Relying on acquisitions early on, Amazon MGM Studios under Salke emerged as a major movie producer straddling theatrical and digital distribution. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025

Signed for a $5 million bonus as a 16-year-old in 2019, Domínguez was very physically mature for his age then, and showed plus power early on in his career as a result. —Keith Law, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

For starters, both are 16-year-old artists who showed a knack for music early on. —Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for early on

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• chitosan
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon

Kids Definition

early on

adverb

: at or during an early point or stage

had decided early on not to accept