English · Word Candidate

early

/ˈɜːli/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: earlier · earliest · earlies

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Vào một thời điểm trước khi sự kiện dự kiến xảy ra

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

at eleven, we went for an early lunch; she began reading at an early age; his mother suffered an early death

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Đến sớm hơn dự kiến, sớm hơn giờ dự kiến

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

You're early today! I don't usually see you before nine o'clock.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

một ca (kỳ làm việc) diễn ra vào sáng sớm

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

NounRegister: informal

Examples

On my first day on the watch after leaving the shoplifting squad I paraded on earlies but had completely forgotten to take my ear ring off.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

At a time before expected; sooner than usual.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

trước thời điểm dự kiến; sớm hơn bình thường

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adverb

Examples

We finished the project an hour sooner than scheduled, so we left early.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “early” mean?

At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.

Is “early” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.