| Library / English Dictionary |
EARLIER
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(comparative and superlative of 'early') more early than; most early
Example:
Verdi's earliest and most raucous opera
Synonyms:
earlier; earliest
Classified under:
Similar:
early (at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time)
Domain usage:
comparative; comparative degree (the comparative form of an adjective or adverb)
II. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Earlier in time; previously
Example:
I mentioned that problem earlier
Synonyms:
before; earlier
Classified under:
Sense 2
Meaning:
Before now
Example:
why didn't you tell me in the first place?
Synonyms:
earlier; in the beginning; in the first place; originally; to begin with
Classified under:
Sense 3
Meaning:
Comparatives of 'soon' or 'early'
Example:
came earlier than I expected
Synonyms:
earlier; sooner
Classified under:
Adverbs
Context examples:
Earlier this year Tesla’s founder Elon Musk announced that a new long-haul truck would be revealed in September but did not mention plans to make it self-driving.
(Tesla to Test Self-driving Electric Trucks, VOA News)
The blood may be donated by another person, or it may have been taken from the patient earlier and stored until needed.
(Blood transfusion, NCI Dictionary)
Each day the sun rose earlier and set later.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
This finding supports earlier research results in mice.
(Disrupting the gut microbiome may affect some immune responses to flu vaccination, National Institutes of Health)
The man and woman are like mad. We start earlier in the morning, we travel later at night.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
The Sun arrived four days earlier, November 22, and remained until December 21, putting a spotlight on you.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
Earlier this year, Warholm set a personal best time of 46.92 seconds in the 400 m hurdles, the second-fastest time recorded in the history of the event.
(Norway's Warholm wins gold in 400 m hurdles at World Championships in Doha, Wikinews)
Women in the study had earlier responded to a questionnaire indicating whether they had taken a supplement containing folic acid in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
(New study suggests high lead levels during pregnancy linked to child obesity, National Institutes of Health)
Most of the fields had been ploughed then abandoned between one and 91 years earlier.
(Plant biodiversity struggles to return in wake of agricultural abandonment, National Science Foundation)
This is an unexpected finding because many of the earlier records were based on the idea that only summer monsoon rainfall was recorded by these minerals.
(Cave stalagmites reveal India’s rainfall secrets, SciDev.Net)
