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.
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.
Adverb
From there, the Hornetsโ advantage continued to swell with little Nets resistance, outside of a Minott flagrant foul early in the fourth quarter in a 27-point game.โ๐ Image C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026 Starters carry weight Suggs got going early with a nine-point first quarter and had 13 by the half with four rebounds and four assists.โ๐ Image Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Southern California residents are voicing their frustrations over the cost of tickets for the LA28 Olympic Games, which event organizers have billed as affordable, especially after getting early access last week.โ๐ Image Laurie Perez, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026 Anyone from New York in the early aughts will also appreciate the addition of pickle-back shots, as well as cocktail-and-snack pairings for a reasonable $16.โ๐ Image Condรฉ Nast, Condรฉ Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for early
Word History
Etymology
Adverb
Middle English erly, from Old English วฃrlฤซce, from วฃr early, soon โ more at ere
