Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for first light. Search instead for at+first+sight.
Synonyms

first light

American  

noun

Southern U.S.

  1. dawn.

first light British  

noun

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

"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 first light

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

The first light also sets an internal timer for melatonin to be produced again 14 hours later.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

The Alpine rescue service said that due to fog and low visibility, helicopters could not take off at first light on Sunday.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2025

The sky was a black flag at first light.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2025

As far as the science images goes, I thought the first light image which we have in detail that has never been published before is in there.

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2024

I let out a wail when she parted the caul, letting in first air, first light.

From "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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.