sooner or later

adverb

: at some uncertain future time : sometime

Examples of sooner or later in a Sentence

sooner or later, the police are going to track down the burglar
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even in cases where the elites get what’s coming to them, as was arguably the case with Czarist Russia, the consequences at a human level are often dire, and the ideals sooner or later give way to personal ambitions, petty score settling and violence for the sake of violence. Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025 They're bound to run into each other sooner or later. David Faris, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025 Whether that decision comes sooner or later could be up to him. Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025 Every indicator is that my head will be chopped off sooner or later. Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sooner or later

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sooner or later was in 1577

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Cite this Entry

“Sooner or later.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sooner%20or%20later. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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