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daybreak

American  
[dey-breyk] / ˈdeɪˌbreɪk /

noun

  1. the first appearance of daylight in the morning; dawn.

daybreak British  
/ ˈdeɪˌbreɪk /

noun

  1. the time in the morning when light first appears; dawn; sunrise

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of daybreak

First recorded in 1520–30; day + break

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When signals resumed before daybreak some 10 hours later, the bulk carrier was far south of the strait.

From The Wall Street Journal

Around 70 people braved the cold to queue outside the West Kowloon court at daybreak, while dozens of journalists gathered outside the building's entrance.

From Barron's

For three days we walked through the nights, stopping at daybreak to dig a new hiding spot to sleep away the day.

From Literature

My lake friends came to the island every day at dusk and swam around till daybreak.

From Literature

By daybreak, an uneasy calm overtook the city of more than 3 million.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.