Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for daybreak. Search instead for Waybread.
Synonyms

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 • Mar. 14, 2026

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 • Feb. 8, 2026

On a normal cruise out of Florida, finding a free chair with a view of the ocean can be a fool’s errand, unless you’re willing to get up at daybreak.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

J'ouvert, which means "daybreak" or "opening of the day" in French Creole, marks the start of the Carnival celebrations across the Bank Holiday weekend.

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025

Half-hour after daybreak the buzzards rise from the leafless billboard tree and flap away like the sound of old black satin dresses beat together.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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.