AdverbEarly 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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
In a statement Thursday, Susanville City Administrator Dan Newton said the City Council will be briefed by the city attorney and will hold a special meeting as early as Monday to determine the next steps.Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 Volusia County visitors pining for pancakes have traveled from far and wide, lining up as early as 5:30 a.m., just for a chance to eat at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant within De Leon Springs State Park. Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Sep. 2022 Phoenix and Tucson could see showers and thunderstorms as early as Friday afternoon, according to Benedict. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 9 Sep. 2022 The expansion could happen as early as the end of the 2024 season, but the 12-year contract the CFP has with ESPN doesn't expire until after the 2025 campaign. Keith Jenkins, The Enquirer, 8 Sep. 2022 Teich mentioned above that some retailers started holiday sales as early as October in 2020 and 2021 — Amazon has been one of the companies leading that charge. Heath Owens, Good Housekeeping, 7 Sep. 2022 Cano Health, which serves over 226,000 seniors in Florida, will have the shots available for its patients as early as the end of the week.Sun Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2022 Bronny began playing basketball as a child and could play in the NBA as early as the 2024-2025 season. Stephanie Kaloi, Peoplemag, 7 Sep. 2022 Wicker said the hope is to lure a team to Snapdragon as early as 2025. Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2022
Adjective
The West Center made headlines in 2020 when researchers found early signs of COVID-19 in UA's student dorms by testing wastewater and avoiding an outbreak. Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 13 Sep. 2022 The Lions, early leaders in the race for the county title, are looking to build on last year’s regional final appearance. Colin Murphy, Baltimore Sun, 12 Sep. 2022 There were early signs this could be a long one for the Jets’ offense. Dennis Waszak Jr., Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2022 Lea Michele was forced to cancel performances of Funny Girl after experiencing early signs of COVID-19. Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2022 The labor market is showing early signs of cooling off, and GDP growth is also slowing. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 9 Sep. 2022 Vote For Ohio Kids is led jointly by Groundwork Ohio, the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, and Ohio Excels in partnership with business, healthcare, and early education leaders. Jeremy Pelzer, cleveland, 8 Sep. 2022 The early signs indicate the potential for a fruitful relationship is there. Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2022 Although the company is showing early signs of viability, there are still some hurdles to overcome, namely competing against movie theaters that have developed their own subscription services. Jasmine Browley, Essence, 6 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adverb
Middle English erly, from Old English ǣrlīce, from ǣr early, soon — more at ere
First Known Use
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a