1. (adverb) earlier, earliest
(comparative and superlative of `early') more early than; most early
"a fashion popular in earlier times"; "his earlier work reflects the influence of his teacher"; "Verdi's earliest and most raucous opera"
2. (adverb) earlier, before
earlier in time; previously
"I had known her before"; "as I said before"; "he called me the day before but your call had come even earlier"; "her parents had died four years earlier"; "I mentioned that problem earlier"
3. (adverb) sooner, earlier
comparatives of `soon' or `early'
"Come a little sooner, if you can"; "came earlier than I expected"
4. (adverb) in the first place, earlier, in the beginning, to begin with, originally
before now
"why didn't you tell me in the first place?"
|
Definitions of earlier 
