early

About 232.93 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. adjective At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.

   at eleven, we went for an early lunch; she began reading at an early age; his mother suffered an early death

2. adjective Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time.

   You're early today! I don't usually see you before nine o'clock.

3. adjective After but close to the start of a period of time.

   The play "Two Gentlemen of Verona" is one of Shakespeare's early works.

4. adjective In the starting hours of the day.

   It's too early for this sort of thing. I'm not awake yet.

5. adjective Having begun to occur; in its early stages.

   early cancer

6. adjective Of a star or class of stars, hotter than the sun.
7. noun A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day.
8. adverb At a time before expected; sooner than usual.

   We finished the project an hour sooner than scheduled, so we left early.

Similar words

premature immature previous beforehand future former past proto precocious earlyish

Often followed by

in as years days stages and childhood part morning on

Word family

Early Jubal A. Early Jubal Anderson Early Jubal Early earlier earliest earliness earlinesses