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1. Dictionary

   early

   /ˈəːli/

   adjective

   • 1. happening or done before the usual or expected time: "we ate an early lunch" Similar untimelyprematuretoo soontoo earlybefore timearchaic:unseasonableprompttimelyquickspeedyrapidfastwithout delayexpeditiousarchaic:ratheOpposite overdue
   • ▪ (of a plant or crop) flowering or ripening before other varieties: "early potatoes"
   • 2. belonging or happening near the beginning of a particular period: "an early goal secured victory" Similar advanceforwardpriorinitialpreliminaryfirstprimarypilottesttrialOpposite late
   • ▪ done or occurring near the beginning of the day: "we agreed to meet at 6 am to get an early start"
   • ▪ denoting or belonging to the beginning of a historical period or cultural movement: "early impressionism"
   • ▪ occurring at the beginning of a sequence: "the earlier chapters of the book"

   adverb

   • 1. before the usual or expected time: "I was planning to finish work early today" Similar early in the dayin the early morningat dawnat daybreakat cockcrowwith the larkinformal:at stupid o'clockbefore the usual timebefore the appointed timeprematurelytoo soonahead of timeahead of schedulein good timeliterary:betimesOpposite late
   • 2. near the beginning of a particular time or period: "we lost a couple of games early in the season"
   • ▪ near the beginning of the day: "I wrote this piece early one morning"
   • ▪ before the present time or before the time one is referring to: "you met my husband earlier"

   noun

   • 1. potatoes which are ready to be harvested before the main crop.
   • 2. early shifts: informal "she is on earlies"

   Word Origin Old English (as an adverb) ǣrlīce (see ere, -ly2), influenced by Old Norse árliga. The adjective use dates from Middle English.

   Derivatives

   • 1. earliness noun

   Scrabble Points: 8

   • E

     1

   • A

     1

   • R

     1

   • L

     1

   • Y

     4

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   More definitions, origin and scrabble points

2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › earlyEarly Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › early

   • Cached

   The meaning of EARLY is near the beginning of a period of time. How to use early in a sentence.

3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishEARLY | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   EARLY definition: 1. near the beginning of a period of time, or before the usual, expected, or planned time: 2…. Learn more.

4. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishEARLY definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   Early means near the beginning of a period in history, or in the history of something such as the world, a society, or an activity. ...the early stages of pregnancy. ...Fassbinder's early films.

5. www.dictionary.com › browse › earlyEARLY Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › early

   • Cached

   in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc.: early in the year. in the early part of the morning: to get up early. before the usual or appointed time; ahead of time: They came early and found their hosts still dressing.

6. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › earlyEarly - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › early

   Something that's early happens right at the beginning of some specific time period, or before you expect it to happen. An early party guest shows up before the party starts. An early riser gets up with the sun every morning, and you might eat an early dinner at five in the evening.

7. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-englishEARLY | meaning - Cambridge Learner's Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-english

   • Cached

   EARLY definition: 1. near the beginning of a period of time, process, etc: 2. before the usual time or the time that…. Learn more.

8. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › englishearly adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage...

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english

   • Cached

   arriving, or done before the usual, expected or planned time. You're early! I wasn't expecting you till seven. The bus was ten minutes early. an early breakfast. He learnt to play the piano at an early age. Let's make an early start tomorrow. She's an early riser (= she gets up early in the morning).