predawn

American  

[pree-dawn, pree-] / priˈdɔn, ˈpri- /

noun

1. the period immediately preceding dawn.

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adjective

1. noting the time immediately prior to dawn.

Etymology

Origin of predawn

First recorded in 1945–50; pre- + dawn

Example Sentences

There were no predawn hikes or multicity tours.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that "in two predawn operations today, the Coast Guard conducted back-to-back meticulously co-ordinated boarding of two 'ghost fleet' tanker ships".

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

In the predawn hours of March 13, 1944, a Halifax bomber flew across the black waters of the Adriatic Sea carrying four Jewish paratroopers equipped with submachine guns, pistols and knives.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

From there, he and the rest of the group sat for hours on the tarmac in front of a military plane in the predawn dark, unsure what was going to happen.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025

And all this was just to light a candle that barely softened the predawn gloom of the attic.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson