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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Cincinnati police responded early on Sunday morning to investigate the crash and learned Williams and a woman exited their 2012 Chevrolet Malibu to examine the vehicle, which had broken down on the side of the interstate, officials said in a news release. —

Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 12 Nov. 2024 Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the White House after winning battleground Wisconsin early on Wednesday morning. —

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2024 Company shares jumped early on Wednesday and were last up 7.7% at 9:02 a.m. —

Sophie Kiderlin, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024 Don’t head to sleep early on the star-splashed night skies, either. —

Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for early on