1
: prior to a specified or implied past, present, or future time : by this time : previously
He had already left when I called.
2
—used as an intensive
All right already.
Enough already!
Examples of already in a Sentence
They've already agreed to come.
I'd already left by the time you called.
He acted as if he didn't already know.
Flight 102 will already have taken off by the time Flight 101 lands.
Have they arrived already?! I'm still not dressed!
Do you have to go already?
Recent Examples on the Web
Satisfied with medical procedures already in place, NASA ordered no extra checkups for the crew ahead of liftoff and no new diagnostic equipment was packed.
—
Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
Guthrie was already physically vulnerable.
—Paige Williams, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
But some jurisdictions are already doing similar things.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 13 Feb. 2026
Signs of friction with China are already visible.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for already
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Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
Guthrie was already physically vulnerable.
—Paige Williams, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
But some jurisdictions are already doing similar things.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 13 Feb. 2026
Signs of friction with China are already visible.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for already
Cite this Entry
“Already.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/already. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
already
adverb
al·ready
ȯl-ˈred-ē 
ˈȯl-ˌred-ē
: before a certain time : by the time
I had already left when you called
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