sundown

[ suhn-doun ]

noun

1. sunset, especially the time of sunset.

verb (used without object)

1. Psychiatry. (especially of dementia patients) to experience confusion or hallucinations late in the day or at night, likely as a result of strange surroundings, drug effects, decreased sensory input, or reduction of oxygen supply to the brain.

sundown

/ ˈsʌnˌdaʊn /

noun

1. another name for sunset

Word History and Origins

Origin of sundown¹

First recorded in 1610–20; sun + down ¹

Example Sentences

Prior to landing on Catalina at 6:20 p.m., the Beechcraft pilot was informed that he would have to depart the island before sundown at 6:31 p.m., according to the report.

From Los Angeles Times

The airport manager then told the pilot that the charging time would push them past sundown and their departure would not be approved.

From Los Angeles Times

Rosh Hashana, which began Wednesday at sunset and will conclude at sundown Friday, is one of the the High Holy Days in Judaism and marks the Jewish new year.

From Los Angeles Times

Sundown towns were also maintained as all or nearly all-white spaces through pogroms and ethnic cleansing campaigns.

From Salon

Trump has also been mining America’s white supremacist and racist past for narcissistic and political energy and momentum by holding his rallies in what are known as “sundown towns.”

From Salon

Related Words

• dusk