early

adjective
UK: /ˈɜː.li/
US: /ˈɝː.li/

  1. Near the beginning of a period of time, or before the usual time.

    1. I woke up early this morning. [ ] [ ]
    2. The early bird gets the worm, as they say, so I try to arrive early. [ ] [ ]

  2. Happening or done near the beginning of a period of time or before the expected time.

    1. The band's early music was their best. [ ] [ ]
    2. Early detection of the disease greatly improves the chances of successful treatment. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

soon advanced beforehand
early adverb

  1. Near the beginning of a period of time or before the usual time.

    1. She arrived early for the meeting. [ ] [ ]
    2. The flowers are blooming early this year because of the mild winter we had early this spring. [ ] [ ]

  2. Before the usual or expected time.

    1. I finished work early and went home. [ ] [ ]
    2. If we book early, we can get better seats for the concert early next month. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "early" in English means: Near the beginning of a period of time, or before the usual time., Happening or done near the beginning of a period of time or before the expected time..

The phonetic transcription of "early" is /ˈɜː.li/ in British English and /ˈɝː.li/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "early": soon, advanced, beforehand.

Example usage of "early": "I woke up early this morning.". More examples on the page.