as in ahead
so as to precede something in order of time
he had arrived earlier to take care of some preliminary matters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earlier
Adverb
-
That same year, Bass jumped in about eight months ahead.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026 -
And ultimately in February, this is a big month coming ahead for us here and that’s right in front of us.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
5 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The other half of that spacewalk, Christina Koch, is among the four Artemis II astronauts waiting to fly around the moon as early as March.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Paul Modrowski was 18 years old when prosecutors charged him and a co-defendant with the murder of a friend, Dean Fawcett, whose headless body was discovered months earlier near railroad tracks in Barrington.—
Christy Gutowski,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
History shows that the world has gone to China before, drawn by growth and a belief in endless opportunity, and then rapidly pulled back amid geopolitical tensions and shocks.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The day before the killings, Wallace said, Keith Caneiro confronted his older brother about a bank account associated with an irrevocable trust that the younger sibling had established nearly two decades before.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
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,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Overwhelm, already a danger to investigators managing a complex case, isn’t helped by online conspiracy theorists and other noisemakers.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Kiley has occasionally bucked GOP leadership on procedural matters and previously voted against a House rule that would have blocked consideration of tariff repeal measures.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Feb. 2026
-
According to the city, if approved, Peterson would fill a seat previously held by Commissioner Joseph Mitchell, whose term ended in November 2025.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Earlier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earlier. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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