early on
adverb
Using Early on: Usage Guide
This adverb is sometimes objected to in American writing as an obtrusive Briticism. It is a relative newcomer to the language, having arisen in British English around 1928. It seems to have filled a need, however. It came into frequent use in American English in the late 1960s and is now well established on both sides of the Atlantic in both speech and writing.
Examples of early on in a Sentence
Indya Brown, Essence, 5 Apr. 2024
Tori Spelling can admit that there were signs early on in her relationship with Dean McDermott that challenged her.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
The tired legs some might’ve expected from DU after Thursday’s double-OT win didn’t materialize early on, as the Pioneers dominated the puck in the opening five minutes.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2024
Papini spent part of her sentence in a Sacramento halfway house and was released from custody eight months early on Sept. 29, 2023, Federal Bureau of Prisons records show.
—Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
In 1997, Farrow told Howard Stern that Sinatra pulled out all the stops early on in their relationship, and even flew the actress and her cat to his home in Palm Springs.
—Stephanie Kaloi, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Losing my father early on showed me that life is short.
—Aaraf Adam, Essence, 22 Mar. 2024
That point was stressed by none other than the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, who spoke to the Cardinal early on with the message for players to be a star in their role rather than being star players.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
The actress hit the red carpet early on Sunday as co-host of ABC's Oscars 2024 pre-show, revealing her growing baby bump.
—Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'early on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
1759, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near early on
Cite this Entry
“Early on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/early%20on. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
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early on
adverb
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