already

[awl-red-ee] /ɔlˈrɛd i/

adverb

by this or that time; previously; prior to or at some specified or implied time:

When we came in, we found they had already arrived.

now; so soon; so early:

Is it noon already?

Informal. (used as an intensifier to express exasperation or impatience):

Let's go already!

Origin

1350-1400; Middle English al redy all ready; what orig. meant “completely (all) ready” and modified the subject (The porter all ready was there) was taken adverbially as modifying the predicate (The porter already was there, meaning “from an earlier time”)

Usage note

Although already and all ready are often indistinguishable in speech, the written forms have distinct meanings and uses. The phrase all ready means “entirely ready” or “prepared” (I was all ready to leave on vacation). Already means “previously” (The plane had already left the airport) or “so soon” (Is it lunchtime already?).

Examples from the web for already

Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained.
The band has already found an audience.
Of course, all-wheel drive adds about $1500 to an already marginal price.
So the internet's already starting to look different.
It may be tempting to buy plants already in bloom, but younger ones perform better in the long run.
Tweaks improve an already splendid tablet computer .
If the soil is already good loam, dig in a 2- to 3-inch layer.
Most of the big fish in the ocean are already gone.
If your fishmonger doesn't sell sardines already cleaned, it's easy to do yourself.
In doing the study, he discovered that a wireless infrastructure is already in place throughout much of the city.

British Dictionary definitions for already

already

/ɔːlˈrɛdɪ/

adverb

by or before a stated or implied time: he is already here

at a time earlier than expected: is it ten o'clock already?

Word Origin and History for already

adv.

c.1300, compound of all + ready (adj.); literally "fully ready." Cf. Norwegian, Danish allerede "already." Colloquial use in U.S. as a terminal emphatic (e.g. enough, already!) is attested from 1903, translating Yiddish shoyn, which is used in same sense. The pattern also is attested in Pennsylvania German and in South African.

Slang definitions & phrases for already

already

adverb

Without further ado; such being the case: Let's go already
Right now; at once: Shut up already
Very specifically; precisely: Drop dead already �Already is used chiefly for a humorous exasperated effect and to suggest Yiddish speech patterns