daylight saving

or daylight savings

noun

1. the practice of advancing standard time by one hour in the spring of each year and of setting it back by one hour in the fall in order to gain an extra period of daylight during the early evening.

Word History and Origins

Origin of daylight saving¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Yes, that’s right, daylight saving is ending and darkness is coming.

From Los Angeles Times

The Scottish Baronial-style clock tower was manually changed for daylight savings before it was automated in 2014 - just a few months after Brian took the job of looking after the clock.

From BBC

A couple of years ago, the state tried to jump off by switching to year-round daylight saving time.

From Seattle Times

The science behind why people hate daylight saving time, how paleontologists used a robot to resurrect an animal that went extinct 450 million years ago, and the potentially deadly consequences of “dark fishing.”

From Science Magazine

Thankfully, this weekend brought what I always consider the first harbinger of spring: The beginning of daylight saving time.

From New York Times

More About Daylight Saving

What is daylight saving?

Daylight saving is the practice of adjusting the time in order to gain an extra hour of daylight in the evening during part of the year. Daylight saving is begun in the spring by setting clocks one hour ahead. They are then set one hour back in the fall. Daylight saving is also commonly called daylight savings.

The period during which daylight saving is observed is called daylight-saving time or daylight-savings time (both daylight saving and daylight savings can be used as short forms of these terms). All of these terms can also refer to the specific mode of time that’s being used during a particular period, as opposed to standard time.

People often use the simple mnemonic spring forward, fall back to remember to set clocks forward one hour (e.g., from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.) in the spring and backward one hour (e.g., from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m.) in the fall. This is often seen as resulting in one less hour of sleep time on the day that the clocks are adjusted in the spring and one more hour when they’re changed in the fall.

Daylight saving is widespread, but it is not practiced everywhere or in the same way in all locations. In the U.S., for example, daylight-saving time is not observed by the states of Arizona or Hawaii.

Example: Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead for daylight saving.

When is daylight saving?

The specific dates on which daylight saving begins and ends change from year to year, but they are always scheduled for the early morning hours of a Sunday.

The dates for the beginning and end of daylight saving also vary from place to place within a given year.

In the U.S., daylight saving 2024 will begin on March 10 and end on November 3. In 2025, it will begin on March 9 and end on November 2.

In the U.K., daylight saving 2024 will begin on March 31 and end on October 27. In 2025, it will begin on March 30 and end on October 26.

More information and context on daylight saving

The first records of the term daylight saving come from the early 1900s. The practice is thought to have been first proposed by U.S. statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin in the 1700s. The idea gained traction in the late 1800s and was first officially adopted by Germany in 1916, followed soon after by several other countries, including the U.S. in 1918. Daylight saving was enacted during this time in part as a way to save energy costs during World War I, and the same thing was done during World War II. An annual period of daylight saving was permanently enacted for much of the U.S. in 1973.

Today, the need for daylight saving is debated, with critics noting that it no longer serves the practical purposes that it was once intended to.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing daylight saving?

• daylight-saving time
• standard time
• time
• clock
• daylight
• hour
• spring
• forward
• fall
• back
• change
• observe

How is daylight saving discussed in real life?

Daylight saving is commonly called daylight savings and both are commonly used to refer to daylight-saving time. Most people look forward to more daylight, but not losing an hour of sleep when “springing forward.”

We aren't an agrarian culture. Are we truly conserving energy? Is it necessary to continue daylight saving? 😳😩😴 #DaylightSavingTime

— She May Be a Mocha Mermaid (@She3_PO) March 13, 2016

Daylight savings is basically 2 weeks away… hallelujah. Everything’s better when the sun is out longer.

— Jazmine (@itsjazescobar) February 25, 2021

Daylight savings starts next month.. y’all have no idea how much I need that sunshine😭 I think we all do

— miss kayla🦂 (@_kaylh) February 1, 2021

Try using daylight saving!

True or False?

All locations around the world observe daylight saving in the same way.