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

Growing up, how did your parents or guardians talk about money? Williams also suggests setting clear expectations about who plans and pays for dates early on in a relationship. —Rachel Barber, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025

Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman said that early on in his career, lefties attacked with fastballs and changeups away. —Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025

As Waller is preparing for a potential return off the physically-unable-to-perform list this week, according to coach Mike McDaniel, Smith is confident Waller will be prepared to contribute early on. —David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025

Bondi also stumbled, at least early on, in staffing the department. —Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 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