sooner

sooner
soon|er [ `sunər ] adverb *
earlier than expected:
My prediction has come true sooner than I thought.
a new test for detecting certain cancers much sooner than before
I'd sooner do something SPOKEN
used for saying what you would prefer to do:
I'd sooner she married no one than marry a fool like him.
Do you want to go out to eat? I'd sooner stay home.
no sooner said than done
used for emphasizing that you will do something immediately
no sooner...than
used for saying that something happens immediately after something else:
No sooner had I walked in the door than the phone rang.
the sooner the better
as soon as possible:
You'll have to face her, and the sooner the better.
sooner or later
definitely at some later time, although you do not know exactly when:
The whole thing was going to reach crisis point sooner or later.
the sooner...the sooner...
used for saying that you want something to happen soon so that something else can also happen:
The sooner you do your homework, the sooner you can go out.

Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sooner — Soon er, n. In the western United States, one who settles on government land before it is legally open to settlement in order to gain the prior claim that the law gives to the first settler when the land is opened to settlement; hence, any one… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sooner — ☆ sooner [so͞on′ər ] n. [< compar. of SOON] 1. a person occupying homestead land, as formerly in the western U.S., before the authorized time for doing so, thus gaining an unfair advantage in choice of location 2. [S ] Informal a person born… …   English World dictionary

  • sooner — [[t]su͟ːnə(r)[/t]] 1) Sooner is the comparative of soon. 2) PHRASE You say the sooner the better when you think something should be done as soon as possible. Detective Holt said: The kidnapper is a man we must catch and the sooner the better . 3) …   English dictionary

  • sooner — [ˈsuːnə] adv earlier than expected The announcement came sooner than we expected.[/ex] The investigation may be completed sooner than previously thought.[/ex] • I would sooner do sth spoken used for saying what you would prefer to do[/ex] I d… …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • sooner */ — UK [ˈsuːnə(r)] / US [ˈsunər] adverb earlier than expected My prediction has come true sooner than I thought. a new test for detecting certain cancers much sooner than before • no sooner ... than used for saying that something happens immediately… …   English dictionary

  • sooner — /ˈsunə/ (say soohnuh) adverb 1. comparative of soon. 2. rather; preferably: I d sooner jump off than climb down. –noun Colloquial 3. a lazy person. 4. a working animal or machine which fails to perform. –phrase 5. sooner or later, eventually. { …  

  • sooner — See: HAD RATHER or HAD SOONER, NO SOONER THAN …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • sooner — See: HAD RATHER or HAD SOONER, NO SOONER THAN …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • sooner — See: had rather or had sooner, no sooner than …   Словарь американских идиом

  • sooner — adverb 1) he should have done it sooner Syn: earlier, before now 2) I would sooner stay Syn: rather, preferably, given the choice …   Synonyms and antonyms dictionary

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