definition of
earlier

[1] #1 earlier r. [before] earlier in time; previously; "I had known her before"; "as I said before"; "he called me the day before but your call had come even earlier"; "her parents had died four years earlier"; "I mentioned that problem earlier". wn

[2] #2 earlier r. [sooner] comparatives of 'soon' or 'early'; "Come a little sooner, if you can"; "came earlier than I expected". wn

[3] #3 earlier r. [in the first place, in the beginning, to begin with, originally] before now; "why didn't you tell me in the first place?". wn

[4] #4 earlier s. [earliest] (comparative and superlative of 'early') more early than; most early; "a fashion popular in earlier times"; "his earlier work reflects the influence of his teacher"; "Verdi's earliest and most raucous opera". wn