sooner

1 of 2

noun

soon·​er ˈsü-nər 

plural sooners

1

: a person settling on land in the early West before its official opening to settlement in order to gain the prior claim allowed by law to the first settler after official opening

2

Sooner plural Sooners : a native or resident of Oklahoma

—used as a nickname

sooner

2 of 2

comparative of soon

Examples of sooner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After Kentucky narrowly defeated the Sooners 83-82 at Lloyd Noble Center, fans threw objects at the Wildcats, including a beer that almost hit one player. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 27 Feb. 2025

The Sooners join Stanford (which hired Andrew Luck), Cal (Ron Rivera) and North Carolina (Michael Lombardi) who have turned to people with NFL ties as its general manager. —Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025

The Sooners are hoping to clinch a spot in the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament. —Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 24 Feb. 2025

The Tigers held the Sooners without a field goal for the final 4 minutes, 20 seconds of the first half. —Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

sooner, comparative of soon

First Known Use

Noun

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sooner

• no sooner
• no sooner said than done
• no sooner than
• sooner or later
• sooner rather than later
• would sooner

Rhymes for sooner

• lunar
• schooner
• spooner
• tuner
• lacunar
• semilunar