1 ear·ly
Pronounced:
/ˈɚli/
Function:
adverbInflected forms:
ear·li·er; ear·li·estMeaning:
1 : at or near the beginning of a period of time or a process, activity, series, etc. ▪ 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. ▪ We learned early [=early on] not to question his decisions. ▪ The package should be arriving early next week. —opposite late
2 : before the usual or expected time ▪ She arrived early to help with the preparations. ▪ I got up early to finish packing. ▪ I got up bright and early. [=very early] —opposite late
2 : before the usual or expected time ▪ She arrived early to help with the preparations. ▪ I got up early to finish packing. ▪ I got up bright and early. [=very early] —opposite late
early on
: at or during an early point or stage ▪ The reasons were obvious early on [=early] in the experiment. ◊Early on originated in British English. Some American writers have objected to it, but it is now very common in the U.S. Note that unlike early, early on can appear at the beginning of a sentence. ▪ Early on, the project was in trouble.