early
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
How often you will meet it
Rank 566 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 34,531 times across 175,160 chapters — 0.016% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
adjective
- at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time early morningan early warning
- being or occurring at an early stage of development in an early stageearly forms of life
- belonging to the distant past also: former, other the early inhabitants of Europeformer generations
- very young at an early age
- of an early stage in the development of a language or literature the Early Hebrew alphabetical script is that used mainly from the 11th to the 6th centuries B.C.Early Modern English is represented in documents printed from 1476 to 1700
- expected in the near future look for an early end to the negotiations
adverb
- during an early stage also: early on early on in her career
- before the usual time or the time expected also: ahead of time, too soon she graduated earlythe house was completed ahead of time
early in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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Early this season He couldn't score, for no apparent reason.
Punch — Volume 99, August 16, 1890 · Various · Chapter 1
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I understood very early that it was my duty to imitate them.
The Adventures of Harry Richmond — Complete · George Meredith · Chapter 1
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The first time I ever saw him was early in his first term as President.
Following the Equator — Part 1 · Mark Twain · Chapter 1
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Their country-place, Styles Court, had been purchased by Mr. Cavendish early in their married life.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles · Agatha Christie · Chapter 1
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The girl and her chaperon had been deposited early in the desirable second-story window in Durfee, looking down on the tree.
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1