sooner, übersetzung im Collins English Cobuild & Thesaurus Wörterbuch

sooner

1 Sooner is the comparative of soon.

2 You say the sooner the better when you think something should be done as soon as possible.
♦ the sooner the better phrase
Detective Holt said: `The kidnapper is a man we must catch and the sooner the better'.

3 If you say that something will happen sooner or later, you mean that it will happen at some time in the future, even though it might take a long time.
♦ sooner or later phrase PHR with cl (=eventually)
Sooner or later she would be caught by the police.

4 If you say that no sooner has one thing happened than another thing happens, you mean that the second thing happens immediately after the first thing.
♦ no sooner phrase (=scarcely)
No sooner had he arrived in Rome than he was kidnapped.

5 If you say that you would sooner do something or you'd sooner do it, you mean that you would prefer to do it.
♦ would sooner/'d sooner  phrase (=would rather)
Ford vowed that he would sooner burn his factory to the ground than build a single vehicle for war purposes...  MODAL inf
I'd sooner not talk about it...  MODAL not inf
I'd sooner he didn't know till I've talked to Pete...  MODAL that
I would sooner give up sleep than miss my evening class...  MODAL inf than inf
I'd sooner not, if you don't mind.  MODAL not