midnight

[ mid-nahyt ]

noun

1. the middle of the night; twelve o'clock at night.

adjective

1. of or relating to midnight.
2. resembling midnight, as in darkness.

midnight

/ ˈmɪdˌnaɪt /

noun

1. 1. the middle of the night; 12 o'clock at night
   2. ( as modifier )

      the midnight hour

2. burn the midnight oil
   to work or study late into the night

Derived Forms

• ˈmidˌnightly, adjectiveadverb

Other Words From

• midnightly adjective adverb
• post·midnight adjective
• pre·midnight noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of midnight¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English midniht. See mid-, night

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. burn the midnight oil, to study or work far into the night:

   After months of burning the midnight oil, he really needed a vacation.

Example Sentences

As we get past midnight, some snow flurries or snow showers are possible.

From Washington Post

We should see stars intermixed before clouds thicken more after midnight and toward dawn.

From Washington Post

Not calm, but trending from around 10 to 15 mph early to five mph after midnight.

From Washington Post

In reality, the ice cream machines are infamously prone to breaking down, routinely disappointing anyone trying to satisfy their midnight McFlurry craving.

From Ars Technica

I arrived at the gravel lot next to a warehouse, located deep in an industrial neighborhood, around midnight on a Saturday, LA TikTokers having told me it was the place to be.

From Vox

What Happened To Director Martin Brest By Matt Patches, Playboy He directed Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run and, yes, Gigli.

From The Daily Beast

We wrote Before Sunset and Before Midnight while we were working on Boyhood, and all those films are all about time.

From The Daily Beast

If you think this election is about something else, your right to ask expired in Japan on Tuesday at midnight.

From The Daily Beast

Jenny Slate and Rosario Dawson make out at midnight because everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.

From The Daily Beast

When I reached Easter Elchies House, it was almost midnight, well, well, well passed the time that I was expected to arrive.

From The Daily Beast

I thought we were in for an encore performance, but gradually the uproar died away, and by midnight all was quiet.

From Project Gutenberg

About midnight the combination of sultry heat and banked clouds produced the usual results.

From Project Gutenberg

The girls sat up till midnight, at which time Haggard and his friend were due from Rome.

From Project Gutenberg

Once more these huge explosions unloading their cargoes of midnight on to the evening gloom.

From Project Gutenberg

Edna was sobbing, just as she had wept one midnight at Grand Isle when strange, new voices awoke in her.

From Project Gutenberg