dawn

¹

[ dawn ]

noun

1. the first appearance of daylight in the morning:

   Dawn broke over the valley.

   Synonyms: sunrise, daybreak

   Antonyms: sunset

2. the beginning or rise of anything; advent:

   the dawn of civilization.

verb (used without object)

1. to begin to grow light in the morning:

   The day dawned with a cloudless sky.

2. to begin to open or develop.
3. to begin to be perceived (usually followed by on ):

   The idea dawned on him.

   Synonyms: break, occur, appear

Dawn

²

[ dawn ]

noun

1. a female given name.

dawn

/ dɔːn /

noun

1. daybreak; sunrise auroral
2. the sky when light first appears in the morning
3. the beginning of something

verb

1. to begin to grow light after the night
2. to begin to develop, appear, or expand
3. usually foll byon or upon to begin to become apparent (to)

Derived Forms

• ˈdawnˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• dawnlike adjective
• un·dawned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dawn¹

First recorded before 1150; Middle English dawen (verb), Old English dagian, derivative of dæg day; akin to Old Norse daga, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German dagen, Old High German tagēn

Word History and Origins

Origin of dawn¹

Old English dagian to dawn; see day

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with dawn , also see crack of dawn ; light dawned .

Example Sentences

But as dawn broke, the control room received word that something was terribly wrong.

From Los Angeles Times

He added: "Every dark night, even if there are a thousand of them, always ends with dawn."

From BBC

In the early dawn of that May morning, as the New England men stood guard over the flames, five hundred men, women, and children were slowly burned alive.

From Salon

People can help protect themselves and mountain lions by being aware that dawn or dusk is prime time for mountain lion activity.

From Science Daily

It provided a time to contemplate all the unanswered questions we understood we would soon face as a new day dawned.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dawning
• daybreak
• daylight
• morning