Already
Pronunciation
- IPA: /É”ËlˈrÉ›di/, /É‘ËlˈrÉ›di/
- Hyphenation: al + read + y
Origin
From Middle English alredy, alredi, equivalent to - + ready. Compare Middle Low German alreide, alreids; Dutch alreeds ("already"). More at all, ready.
Full definition of already
Adverb
already
- Prior to some specified time, either past, present, or future; by this time; previously.
- Arthur Conan DoyleIt was already dusk, and the lamps were just being lighted as we paced up and down in front of Briony Lodge, waiting for the coming of its occupant.
- 2013-07-20, Welcome to the plastisphere, Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.
- So soon.Are you quitting already?
- (US) Influenced by Yiddish שוין An intensifier used to emphasize impatience or express exasperation.I wish they'd finish already, so we can get going; enough already!; be quiet already!
Usage notes
Already may be used with the present perfect (I have already done that), the past perfect (I had already done it by then), the future perfect (When you arrive, the business will already have been completed) or the simple future (When you arrive, the business will already be complete).