{
    "term": "early",
    "partOfSpeech": "adjective",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "near the beginning of a period of time, an event etc.",
            "sensetop": "it is too early to do something",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "the early morning"
                },
                {
                    "text": "my earliest memories"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The project is still in **the early stages**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "the early 1990s"
                },
                {
                    "text": "in **the early years** of the twentieth century"
                },
                {
                    "text": "in **the early days of** space exploration *(= when it was just beginning)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "**It is too early to tell** how badly the economy will be affected.",
                    "contextForm": "it is too early to do something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He's in his early twenties."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Mozart’s **early works** *(= those written at the beginning of his career)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Early booking is essential, as space is limited."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The ruling overturned the court’s earlier decision."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The earliest possible date I can make it is the third."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The earliest description of this species dates from 1703."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The earliest mention of the village is in a sixteenth-century manuscript."
                },
                {
                    "text": "These discoveries were made at a surprisingly early date."
                },
                {
                    "text": "From early childhood he suffered from very poor health."
                },
                {
                    "text": "during the early part of December"
                },
                {
                    "text": "An earlier version of this article appeared online."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Time"],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "feel", "seem"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"],
                "preposition": ["for", "in"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "arriving, or done before the usual, expected or planned time",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "You're early! I wasn't expecting you till seven."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The bus was ten minutes early."
                },
                {
                    "text": "an early breakfast"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He learnt to play the piano **at an early age**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Let's **make an early start** tomorrow."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She's an **early riser** *(= she gets up early in the morning)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "early potatoes *(= that are available before other types of potato)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I'm sorry I'm a bit early."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's a little early for lunch."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Victoria has decided to take early retirement."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "feel", "seem"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"],
                "preposition": ["for", "in"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "belonging to the beginning of a period of history or a cultural movement",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The gallery has an unrivalled collection of early twentieth-century art."
                },
                {
                    "text": "the **early modern period** from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The main construction of the fort belongs to the early medieval period."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The painting is a fine example of early Impressionism."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "as soon as possible",
            "labels": "(business)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Please contact us at your earliest convenience."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "very early in the morning",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "You're up bright and early today!"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a person who gets up, arrives, etc. very early",
            "labels": "(humorous)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "You’re an early bird this morning!"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "the person who takes the opportunity to do something before other people will have an advantage over them",
            "labels": "(saying)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "at an early stage, especially in a game or competition",
            "labels": "(British English, informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Suddenly we lost three home matches early doors."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The team had the game in the bag early doors after tries from Ellis and Wilkins."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "the period of time very early in the morning, soon after midnight",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The fighting began in the early hours of Saturday morning."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The party continued well into the early hours."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to say that it is too soon to be sure how a situation will develop",
            "labels": "(British English)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "It’s early days yet. We don’t know if the play will be a success."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Doubt, guessing and certainty"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈɜːli/",
                "audio": "ea/early/early__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈɜːrli/",
                "audio": "ea/early/early__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Old English (as an adverb) ǣrlīce (see ere, -ly), influenced by Old Norse árliga. The adjective use dates from Middle English."
}