Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - 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. Detective Holt said: ‘The kidnapper is a man we must catch and the sooner the better’. PHRASE 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 she would be caught by the police. = eventually PHRASE: PHR with cl 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 had he arrived in Rome than he was kidnapped. = scarcely PHRASE 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. Ford vowed that he would sooner burn his factory to the ground than build a single vehicle for war purposes... I’d sooner not talk about it... I’d sooner he didn’t know till I’ve talked to Pete... I would sooner give up sleep than miss my evening class... I’d sooner not, if you don’t mind. = would rather PHRASE: MODAL inf, MODAL not inf, MODAL that, MODAL inf than inf, MODAL not