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sooner or later

 - 4 dictionary results

soon

  [soon]
Use sooner or later in a Sentence
–adverb, -er, -est.
1. within a short period after this or that time, event, etc.: We shall know soon after he calls.
2. before long; in the near future; at an early date: Let's leave soon.
3. promptly or quickly: He came as soon as he could.
4. readily or willingly: I would as soon walk as ride.
5. early in a period of time; before the time specified is much advanced: soon at night; soon in the evening.
6. Obsolete. immediately; at once; forthwith.
—Idioms
7. sooner or later, eventually: Sooner or later his luck will run out.
8. would sooner, to prefer to: I would sooner not go to their party. Compare rather (def. 8).
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE sōna; c. OHG sān, Goth suns
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To sooner or later
soon   (sōōn)   
adv.   soon·er, soon·est

  1. In the near future; shortly.

  2. Without hesitation; promptly: came as soon as possible.

  3. Before the usual or appointed time; early.

  4. With willingness; readily: I'd as soon leave right now.

  5. Obsolete Immediately.


[Middle English sone, from Old English sōna, immediately, soon.]
Usage Note: No sooner, as a comparative adverb, should be followed by than, not when, as in these typical examples: No sooner had she come than the maid knocked. I had no sooner left than she called.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

soon 
O.E. sona "at once, immediately," from W.Gmc. *sæno (cf. O.Fris. son, O.S. sana, O.H.G. san, Goth. suns "soon"). Sense shifted early M.E. to "within a short time" through human nature (cf. anon). Amer.Eng. Sooner for "Oklahoma native" is 1930, from the fact that in 1889 many settlers of the territory snuck onto public land and staked their claims "sooner" than the legal date and time.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

sooner or later

Eventually, at some unspecified future time, as in Sooner or later we'll have to answer that letter, or It's bound to stop raining sooner or later. This term, which generally implies that some future event is certain to happen, was first recorded in 1577.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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