early
early
(ɜːʳli )Word forms: comparative earlier , superlative earliest
1. adverb [ADVERB after verb]
I knew I had to get up early.
Why do we have to go to bed so early?
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
...in the 1970s and the early 1980s.
...a few weeks in early summer.
She was in her early teens.
...the early hours of Saturday morning.
3. adverb [ADVERB after verb]
Early means before the time that was arranged or expected.
She arrived early to secure a place at the front.
The first snow came a month earlier than usual.
Early is also an adjective.
I'm always early.
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
5. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Early means near the beginning of something such as a piece of work or a process.
...the book's early chapters.
Early is also an adverb.
...an incident which occurred much earlier in the game.
6. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
...these early cabbages and cauliflowers.
Early is also an adverb.
...early flowering shrubs.
7. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
[formal]
The early indications look encouraging.
Earlier reports that troops opened fire are now being denied.
8.
