sooner

sooner
[[t]su͟ːnə(r)[/t]]
1) Sooner is the comparative of soon.
2) PHRASE You say the sooner the better when you think something should be done as soon as possible.

Detective Holt said: `The kidnapper is a man we must catch and the sooner the better'.

3) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something will happen sooner or later, you mean that it will happen at some time in the future, even though it might take a long time.

Sooner or later she would be caught by the police.

Syn:
4) PHR-CONJ-SUBORD If you say that no sooner has one thing happened than another thing happens, you mean that the second thing happens immediately after the first thing.

No sooner had he arrived in Rome than he was kidnapped.

Syn:
5) PHR-MODAL If you say that you would sooner do something or you'd sooner do it, you mean that you would prefer to do it.

[MODAL inf] Unless they speak French already, they would sooner learn English...

[MODAL not inf] I'd sooner not talk about it...

[MODAL that] I'd sooner he didn't know till I've talked to Pete...

[MODAL inf than inf] I would sooner give up sleep than miss my evening class...

[MODAL not] I'd sooner not, if you don't mind.

Syn:
would rather

English dictionary. 2008.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sooner — Soon er, n. In the western United States, one who settles on government land before it is legally open to settlement in order to gain the prior claim that the law gives to the first settler when the land is opened to settlement; hence, any one… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sooner — ☆ sooner [so͞on′ər ] n. [< compar. of SOON] 1. a person occupying homestead land, as formerly in the western U.S., before the authorized time for doing so, thus gaining an unfair advantage in choice of location 2. [S ] Informal a person born… …   English World dictionary

  • sooner — soon|er [ sunər ] adverb * earlier than expected: My prediction has come true sooner than I thought. a new test for detecting certain cancers much sooner than before I d sooner do something SPOKEN used for saying what you would prefer to do: I d… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • sooner — [ˈsuːnə] adv earlier than expected The announcement came sooner than we expected.[/ex] The investigation may be completed sooner than previously thought.[/ex] • I would sooner do sth spoken used for saying what you would prefer to do[/ex] I d… …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • sooner */ — UK [ˈsuːnə(r)] / US [ˈsunər] adverb earlier than expected My prediction has come true sooner than I thought. a new test for detecting certain cancers much sooner than before • no sooner ... than used for saying that something happens immediately… …   English dictionary

  • sooner — /ˈsunə/ (say soohnuh) adverb 1. comparative of soon. 2. rather; preferably: I d sooner jump off than climb down. –noun Colloquial 3. a lazy person. 4. a working animal or machine which fails to perform. –phrase 5. sooner or later, eventually. { …  

  • sooner — See: HAD RATHER or HAD SOONER, NO SOONER THAN …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • sooner — See: HAD RATHER or HAD SOONER, NO SOONER THAN …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • sooner — See: had rather or had sooner, no sooner than …   Словарь американских идиом

  • sooner — adverb 1) he should have done it sooner Syn: earlier, before now 2) I would sooner stay Syn: rather, preferably, given the choice …   Synonyms and antonyms dictionary

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