SOONER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Sooner mean? 

• SOONER (noun)
  The noun SOONER has 1 sense:

1. a native or resident of Oklahoma

  Familiarity information: SOONER used as a noun is very rare.

• SOONER (adverb)
  The adverb SOONER has 2 senses:

1. comparatives of 'soon' or 'early'

2. more readily or willingly

  Familiarity information: SOONER used as an adverb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SOONER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A native or resident of Oklahoma

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Oklahoman; Sooner

Hypernyms ("Sooner" is a kind of...):

American (a native or inhabitant of the United States)

• SOONER (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Comparatives of 'soon' or 'early'

Synonyms:

earlier; sooner

Context example:

came earlier than I expected

Sense 2

Meaning:

More readily or willingly

Synonyms:

preferably; rather; sooner

Context example:

I'd sooner die than give up

 Context examples 

I leave Beth to your hands, then, for she will open her tender little heart to her Jo sooner than to anyone else.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

You will not be summoned to leave England sooner than you expected?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

“We found that it can occur much sooner than expected…in as little as three years.”

(First-time pregnancy complications linked to increased risk of hypertension later in life, National Institutes of Health)

Sooner or later he would accomplish his purpose, get the grip that would win the battle.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

No sooner had it touched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices outside his window.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

I—I—could wish you had remembered me a little sooner, Mr. Creakle.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The finding that the colder region would transition sooner than the warmer one came as a surprise.

(Far Northern Permafrost May Unleash Carbon Within Decades, NASA)

In contrast, the defenses of Cdk5 mutant flies were even weaker as they died sooner than the control flies at all ages.

(NIH scientists search for the clocks behind aging brain disorders, National Institutes of Health)

I did not expect to be able to return sooner, when I went away; but three hours ago I had the pleasure of finding nothing to detain me.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

This comfort you might have had sooner, Fanny, had you sought it.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)