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soon

Syllabification: (soon)
Pronunciation: /so͞on/

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Definition of soon

adverb

  • 1in or after a short time:everyone will soon know the truth he’ll be home soon they arrived soon after 7:30
  • early:it’s a pity you have to leave so soon I wish you’d told me sooner it was too soon to know
  • 2used to indicate one’s preference in a particular matter:I’d just as soon Tim did it I would sooner resign than transfer to Toronto

Phrases

no sooner —— than

used to convey that the second event mentioned happens immediately after the first:she had no sooner spoken than the telephone rang

sooner or later

at some future time; eventually:you’ll have to tell him sooner or later

Derivatives

soonish

adverb

Origin:

Old English sōna 'immediately'

In standard English, the phrase no sooner is followed by than, as in we had no sooner arrived than we had to leave. This is because sooner is a comparative, and comparatives are followed by than (earlier than; better than, etc.). It is incorrect to follow no sooner with when rather than than, as in we had no sooner arrived when we had to leave.

soon in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of soon in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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