- already
- [[t]ɔ͟ːlre̱di[/t]]
♦1) ADV: ADV before v, cl ADV You use already to show that something has happened, or that something had happened before the moment you are referring to. Speakers of British English use already with a verb in a perfect tense, putting it after `have', `has', or `had', or at the end of a clause. Some speakers of American English use already with the simple past tense of the verb instead of a perfect tense.
They had already voted for him at the first ballot...
The group has already shed 10,000 jobs...
She says she already told the neighbors not to come over for a couple of days...
They've spent nearly a billion dollars on it already.
2) ADV: ADV before v, ADV with group You use already to show that a situation exists at this present moment or that it exists at an earlier time than expected. You use already after the verb `be' or an auxiliary verb, or before a verb if there is no auxiliary. When you want add emphasis, you can put already at the beginning of a sentence.The authorities believe those security measures are already paying off...
He was already rich...
He was already late for his appointment...
She also tried to make a mockery of our already tarnished justice system...
Already, he has a luxurious, secluded villa in the swish community of Formello.
English dictionary. 2008.
