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early

adj.
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈɝɫi// UK //ˈɜːli// ear·ly General-service Informal

adj. happening or arriving before the usual or expected time. You can also use it to describe the beginning of a period of time.

adj. occurring, arriving, or done before the usual or expected time; belonging to the beginning of a period or sequence.


SIMPLE

I woke up early this morning to exercise.

CONTEXTUAL

The early astronomers used simple tools to track the movement of stars across the night sky.

COMPLEX

Early observations of planetary motion provided the foundational data that later scientists used to prove that the Earth orbits the Sun.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

Typically placed before the noun it modifies or after a linking verb.

Pitfall

I arrived to the meeting earlyI arrived at the meeting earlyWhile 'early' is correct, learners often use the wrong preposition with the verb 'arrive' when describing their arrival time.

Idioms7 entries

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