Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: sona 'immediately'

soon

 adverb
     
soon S1 W1 comparative sooner, superlative soonest
1 in a short time from now, or a short time after something else happens:
It will be dark soon.
David arrived sooner than I expected.
soon after
Paula became pregnant soon after they were married.
'Who?' 'You'll find out soon enough (=fairly soon).'
2 quickly:
How soon can you finish the report?
Try and get the car fixed as soon as possible.
3

as soon as

immediately after something happens, without delay:
As soon as she entered the room, she knew there was something wrong.
I'll come over to your place as soon as I can.
4

the sooner (...) the better

used to say that it is important that something should happen very soon:
The sooner we get this job finished the better.
Let's get out of here! The sooner the better!
5

the sooner ... the sooner

used to say that you want something to happen soon, so that something else can then happen:
The sooner I get this work done, the sooner I can go home.
6

no sooner had/did ... than

used to say that something happened almost immediately after something else:
No sooner had he sat down than the phone rang.
7

sooner or later

used to say that something is certain to happen at some time in the future, though you cannot be sure exactly when:
His wife's bound to find out sooner or later.
8

too soon

too early
too soon to do something
It's still too soon to say whether the operation was a success.
The holidays were over all too soon (=much earlier than you would like).
9

no sooner said than done

used to say that you will do something immediately
10

not a moment too soon/none too soon

almost too late:
'The doctor's here!' 'And not a moment too soon!'
11

somebody would sooner do something (than)

if you would sooner do something, you would much prefer to do it, especially instead of something that seems unpleasant:
I'd sooner die than marry you!
12

somebody would (just) as soon

formal used to say that someone would prefer to do something or would prefer something to happen:
I'd just as soon you didn't drive the car while I'm gone.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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