1.happening or done before the usual or expected time.
“we ate an early lunch”
synonyms: untimely, premature; More
antonyms: overdue
2.belonging or happening near the beginning of a particular period.
“an early goal secured victory”
synonyms: advance, forward, prior; More
antonyms: late
done or occurring near the beginning of the day.
“we agreed to meet at 6 am to get an early start”
denoting or belonging to the beginning of a historical period or cultural movement.
“early impressionism”
occurring at the beginning of a sequence.
“the earlier chapters of the book”
(of a plant or crop) flowering or ripening before other varieties.
“early potatoes”

1.before the usual or expected time.
“I want to finish work early today”
synonyms: early in the day, in the early morning; More
antonyms: late
near the beginning of a period.
“we lost a couple of games early in the season”
near the beginning of the day.
“I wrote this piece early one morning”
before the present time or before the time one is referring to.
adverb: earlier
“you met my husband earlier”

plural noun: earlies; noun: early
1.potatoes which are ready to be harvested before the main crop.
2.informal
early shifts.
“she is on earlies”