adv.
- in or after a short time.
▸early.
- readily (used to indicate a preference).
Phrase
- no sooner than
as soon as; at the very moment that. - sooner or later
eventually.
Derivative
Usage
The phrase no sooner should be followed by than rather than when in standard English: we had no sooner arrived than we had to leave, not we had no sooner arrived when we had to leave. This is because sooner is a comparative, and comparatives should be followed by than.
Etymology
OE sōna ‘immediately’, of W. Gmc origin.
