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Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th
early
early [early earlies earlier earliest] adjective, adverb BrE [ˈɜːli] NAmE [ˈɜːrli]
adjective (earl·ier, earli·est)
1. near the beginning of a period of time, an event etc
•the early morning
•my earliest memories
• The project is still in the early stages.
•the early 1990s
•in the early days of space exploration (= when it was just beginning)
• The earliest possible date I can make it is the third.
•He's in his early twenties.
•Mozart's early works (= those written at the beginning of his career)
•Early booking is essential, as space is limited.
•The ruling overturned the court's earlier decision.
•The earliest description of this species dates from 1703.
2. arriving, or done before the usual, expected or planned time
• You're early! I wasn't expecting you till seven.
• The bus was ten minutes early.
•an early breakfast
•Let's make an early start tomorrow.
•She's an early riser (= she gets up early in the morning).
•He learnt to play the piano at an early age.
•early potatoes (= that are ready to eat at the beginning of the season)
Opp: ↑late
more at bright and early at ↑bright adj., the small/early hours at ↑hour, an early/a late night at ↑night
Word Origin:
Old English (as an adverb) ǣrlīce (see ↑ere, ↑-ly), influenced by Old Norse árliga. The adjective use dates from Middle English.
Thesaurus:
early adj.
•Let's make an early start.
punctual • • prompt • • on time •
Opp: late
be early/punctual for sth
Example Bank:
•I have to get up ridiculously early.
•I'm sorry I'm a bit early.
•It's a little early for lunch.
•These discoveries were made at a surprisingly early date.
•You're here awfully early, aren't you?
•He learned to play the piano at an early age.
•Let's make an early start tomorrow.
•She's an early riser.
•These are early potatoes.
•We had an early breakfast.
•You're an early bird this morning!
•You're early! I wasn't expecting you till seven.
Idioms: ↑at your earliest convenience ▪ ↑early bird ▪ ↑early bird catches the worm ▪ ↑early on ▪ ↑it's early days
Derived Word: ↑earliness
adverb (earl·ier, earli·est)
1. near the beginning of a period of time, an event, a piece of work, etc
•early in the week/year/season/morning
• The best rooms go to those who book earliest.
• We arrived early the next day.
•We meet the hero quite early in the film.
•He started writing music as early as 1989.
Opp: ↑late
2. before the usual, expected or planned time
• The bus came five minutes early.
• I woke up early this morning.
•The baby arrived earlier than expected.
•early flowering plants
Opp: ↑late
3. earlierbefore the present time or the time mentioned
•As I mentioned earlier…
•a week earlier
• She had seen him earlier in the day.
Opp: ↑later
Word Origin:
Old English (as an adverb) ǣrlīce (see ↑ere, ↑-ly), influenced by Old Norse árliga. The adjective use dates from Middle English.
Example Bank:
•I arrived a few minutes early for my interview.
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