Meaning & Definition of Early in English

1. At or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

• "Early morning"

• "An early warning"

• "Early diagnosis"

• "An early death"

• "Took early retirement"

• "An early spring"

• "Early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties"

2. Being or occurring at an early stage of development

• "In an early stage"

• "Early forms of life"

• "Early man"

• "An early computer"

3. Belonging to the distant past

• "The early inhabitants of europe"

• "Former generations"

• "In other times"

4. Very young

• "At an early age"

5. 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"

6. Expected in the near future

• "Look for an early end to the negotiations"

1. During an early stage

• "Early on in her career"

2. Before the usual time or the time expected

• "She graduated early"

• "The house was completed ahead of time"

3. In good time

• "He awoke betimes that morning"