at the earliest
idiom
—used to indicate the earliest possible time when something will happen or be done
The job will not be finished until next year at the (very) earliest.
Examples of at the earliest in a Sentence
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Now With a February launch ruled out and the moonshot now on hold until March at the earliest, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen ended a pre-flight medical quarantine at the Johnson Space Center in Houston Tuesday.
—
William Harwood, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
The shutdown is set to continue until at least Tuesday, as a final vote in the House is not expected to happen until then at the earliest.
—Connor Greene, Time, 2 Feb. 2026
The back-and-forth will result in at least a short government shutdown; funding for large swaths of the government expires on Saturday and the House likely won’t approve it until Monday at the earliest.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 31 Jan. 2026
On Friday, the Senate approved a continuing resolution to keep Department of Homeland Security funded for two more weeks while the rest of the government gets full-year funding, but that deal now waits in the House, which is in recess and won’t vote until Monday at the earliest.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
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William Harwood, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
The shutdown is set to continue until at least Tuesday, as a final vote in the House is not expected to happen until then at the earliest.
—Connor Greene, Time, 2 Feb. 2026
The back-and-forth will result in at least a short government shutdown; funding for large swaths of the government expires on Saturday and the House likely won’t approve it until Monday at the earliest.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 31 Jan. 2026
On Friday, the Senate approved a continuing resolution to keep Department of Homeland Security funded for two more weeks while the rest of the government gets full-year funding, but that deal now waits in the House, which is in recess and won’t vote until Monday at the earliest.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for at the earliest
Cite this Entry
“At the earliest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20earliest. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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