- before now or before a particular time in the past
- ‘Lunch?’ ‘No thanks, I've already eaten.’
- We got there early but Mike had already left.
- By 2025, filming of the sequel was already under way.
- Much of what he said I knew already.
British/American already / just / yetalready / just / yet- Already and yet are usually used with the present perfect tense, but in North American English they can also be used with the simple past tense:
- I already did it.
- Did you eat yet?
- However, this is much more common in spoken than in written English and some Americans do not consider it acceptable, even in speech. The present perfect is more common in North American English and almost always used in British English:
- I’ve already done it.
- Have you eaten yet?
- I already knew this because Mike had told me.
- Just is mostly used with the perfect tenses in British English and with the simple past in North American English:
- (British English) I’ve just had some bad news.
- (North American English) I just got some bad news.
- used to express surprise that something has happened so soon or so early
- Is it 10 o'clock already?
- You're not leaving already, are you?
- used to emphasize that a situation or problem exists
- I'm already late.
- The new company already has an excellent reputation.
- There are far too many people already. We can't take any more.
- (North American English, informal) used after a word or phrase to show that you are annoyed
- Just stop already, no one feels sorry for you.
Word OriginMiddle English: from the adverb all + ready.
Idioms
See already in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee already in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishenough already
- (especially North American English, informal) used to say that something is annoying or boring and that you want it to stop
Check pronunciation:
already