in earnest

idiom

1

: in an earnest or serious way

The search began in earnest when the police arrived.

After light showers during the day, it began to rain in earnest in the evening.

It's hard to tell if he's making this proposal in earnest.

2

: not fooling : serious and sincere

We thought he was joking at first, but then we realized that he was in earnest.

Examples of in earnest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each year hundreds of artists try to secure a venue — no matter what time of day or night — in the hope of being reviewed or discovered, and advertise their shows in earnest to passersby. —Samantha Conti, WWD, 15 June 2024

These detectors were invented in the late 1960s, although they weren’t used in earnest in astronomy until a few years afterward. —Aaron Shattuck, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024

The plans for Slow and Low began in earnest during the COVID-19 pandemic when executive head chef Brock McDonald had surgery that limited his mobility, said Hargis, known for the popular LowBrau and Beast + Bounty restaurants in midtown Sacramento. —Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 1 June 2024

Free agency begins in earnest March 11, which is when teams can begin talking to players before the free agency window officially opens two days later, but the draft will be a significant part of the process with eight picks in April. —Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 21 May 2024