- the comparative of soon: he came sooner than I thought
- rather; in preference: I'd sooner die than give up
- no sooner…than ⇒ immediately after or when: no sooner had he got home than the rain stopped, no sooner said than done
- sooner or later ⇒ eventually; inevitably
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
soon /sun/USA pronunciation
adv., -er, -est.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- within a short period;
before long:The frogs started their noise soon after dark. - promptly;
quickly:Finish as soon as you can. - readily or willingly:I would as soon walk as ride.
- Idioms sooner or later, sometime;
eventually:Sooner or later you must face the truth. - Idioms, would or had sooner, [~ + verb (+ than + verb)] to prefer to:I would sooner stay home and watch TV (than go to that party).Compare rather (def. 7).
soon•er
(so̅o̅′nər),USA pronunciation n.
Soon•er (so̅o̅′nər),USA pronunciation n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a person who settles on government land before it is legally opened to settlers in order to gain the choice of location.
- a person who gains an unfair advantage by getting ahead of others.
- soon + -er1 1885–90, American.
Soon•er (so̅o̅′nər),USA pronunciation n.
- a native or inhabitant of Oklahoma (the Sooner State) (used as a nickname).
soon
(so̅o̅n),USA pronunciation adv., -er, -est.
- within a short period after this or that time, event, etc.:We shall know soon after he calls.
- before long;
in the near future;
at an early date:Let's leave soon. - promptly or quickly:He came as soon as he could.
- readily or willingly:I would as soon walk as ride.
- early in a period of time;
before the time specified is much advanced:soon at night; soon in the evening. - [Obs.]immediately;
at once;
forthwith. - would sooner, to prefer to:I would sooner not go to their party.Cf. rather (def. 7).
- sooner or later, eventually:Sooner or later his luck will run out.
- bef. 900; Middle English; Old English sōna; cognate with Old High German sān, Gothic suns
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
sooner /ˈsuːnə/ adv
When is sometimes used instead of than after no sooner, but this use is generally regarded as incorrect: no sooner had he arrived than (not when) the telephone rang
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
soon /suːn/ adv
- in or after a short time; in a little while; before long
- as soon as ⇒ at the very moment that: she burst into tears as soon as she saw him
- as soon…as ⇒ used to indicate that the second alternative mentioned is not preferable to the first: I'd just as soon go by train as drive
'no sooner' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):