soon

Universal Words adverb (sooner, soonest) 1 in a short time from now; a short time after sth else has happened: We'll be home soon. / We'll soon be home. * She sold the house soon after her husband died. * I soon realized the mistake. * It soon became clear that the programme was a failure. * (spoken) See you soon! 2 early; quickly: How soon can you get here? * We'll deliver the goods as soon as we can. * Please send it as soon as possible. * Next Monday is the soonest we can deliver. * They arrived home sooner than expected. * The sooner we set off, the sooner we will arrive. * The note said, 'Call Bill soonest' (= as soon as possible). * (written) All too soon the party was over. seealsoASAP IDIOMS no sooner said than done used to say that sth will be done immediately no sooner...than... (written) used to say that sth happens immediately after sth else: No sooner had she said it than she burst into tears. -< HARDLY the sooner the better very soon; as soon as possible: 'When shall I tell him?' 'The sooner the better.' sooner or later at some time in the future, even if you are not sure exactly when: Sooner or later you will have to make a decision. sooner rather than later after a short time rather than after a long time: We urged them to sort out the problem sooner rather than later. I, etc. would sooner do sth (than sth else) to prefer to do sth (than do sth else): She'd sooner share a house with other students than live at home with her parents. moreatANYTIME, JUSTadv., SAYv. ______________________________ WHICHWORD? soon / early / quickly Soon usually means 'a short time from now' or 'after then': I'll see you soon. * She soon regretted what she'd done. In the comparative or superlative or in expressions such as as soon as possible, soon emphasizes that something is done without delay: Please reply as soon as possible. * The sooner you start, the sooner you'll finish. Early means 'near the beginning of a period of time': I've got to get up very early tomorrow. * I'll see you early next week. It can also mean 'before the usual or expected time': A few guests arrived early. Early does not mean 'a short time from now'. Quickly is usually used to talk about the speed with which something is done, but can also be used like soon to mean 'after a short time' or 'without delay': The journey passed very quickly. * Please phone back as quickly/soon as possible. ->noteatQUICK ______________________________