# bright and early

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/bright-and-early
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

(Very) early in the morning.

## Examples

- We need to leave bright and early tomorrow morning.
- To beat the heavy holiday traffic, we decided to start our long road trip bright and early.
- The hikers rose bright and early, eager to reach the mountain summit before the afternoon clouds obscured the view.

## Origin

From *bright*, in the sense of behaving in a cheerful or vivacious manner, and *early*. The construction conjoins the timing of one's arrival with the presumed excellence of one's spirits.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.