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Sooner

Sooner has several related meanings in English. As a comparative form of soon, sooner denotes that something will happen earlier or more quickly than another event or expectation. In older or more formal usage, the word may appear in phrases such as “I would sooner do X than Y,” expressing a preference.

Historically, sooner has also referred to a person who acted earlier than others. In the context of

The nickname Sooner State is widely used for Oklahoma, reflecting these early-entry associations, though the origin

the
Oklahoma
land
rush
of
1889,
a
Sooner
was
someone
who
entered
the
Unassigned
Lands
before
the
official
start
of
the
land
run,
often
to
secure
desirable
parcels.
The
term
became
associated
with
preemptive
or
early
entry
during
that
period,
and
it
contributed
to
the
cultural
associations
later
tied
to
the
region.
of
the
nickname
is
subject
to
interpretation.
The
word
is
also
used
as
a
demonym
for
residents
of
Oklahoma
and
as
the
name
of
the
state’s
flagship
university
sports
teams,
the
Oklahoma
Sooners.
The
term
has
thus
traversed
from
a
grammatical
comparative
to
a
regional
identity
and
a
collegiate
team
name,
retaining
its
general
sense
of
precocity
or
early
action
in
its
historical
lore
and
modern
usage.