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
Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
Saudi Arabia's oil revenue slid 24% in the first half of 2025 from a year earlier.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2025
Beki San Martin, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Here's an early forecast for trick-or-treating on Halloween.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 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
Springer had already suffered an injury earlier in the playoffs when he was hit in the knee by a pitch from Seattle Mariners starter Bryan Woo.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
Saudi Arabia's oil revenue slid 24% in the first half of 2025 from a year earlier.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency is not so fortunate, said Renee Pertile, early childhood director at the agency.
—Beki San Martin, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Here's an early forecast for trick-or-treating on Halloween.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 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 31 Oct. 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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