dawn
noun
the first appearance of daylight in the morning.
dawn
1 American
[dawn]
/ dɔn /
noun
-
dawns
plural
verb (used without object)
-
dawns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dawned,
past participle, past
-
dawning
present participle
Dawn
2
American
[dawn]
/ dɔn /
noun
dawn
British
/ dɔːn /
noun
-
daybreak; sunrise
-
the sky when light first appears in the morning
-
the beginning of something
verb
-
to begin to grow light after the night
-
to begin to develop, appear, or expand
-
to begin to become apparent (to)
dawn
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dawnsimple
-
dawnssimple
-
have dawnedperfect
-
has dawnedperfect
-
am dawningprogressive
-
are dawningprogressive
-
is dawningprogressive
-
have been dawningperfect progressive
-
has been dawningperfect progressive
Past
-
dawnedsimple
-
had dawnedperfect
-
was dawningprogressive
-
were dawningprogressive
-
had been dawningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dawn
First recorded before 1150; Middle English dawen (verb), Old English dagian, derivative of dæg day; akin to Old Norse daga, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German dagen, Old High German tagēn
Explanation
The noun dawn refers to the first light of day, or the first time period, like the dawn of a new era, which occurs when a new president takes office. Not just the beginning of a day, the noun dawn can refer to any beginning, like the dawn of the Internet era. As a verb, dawn can mean "become light" or "become clear," like when it dawns on you that you left an important paper at home today. In that case, you can suddenly see what you did wrong, like at the dawn of a new day, when it is no longer dark and you can see, literally.
Vocabulary lists containing dawn
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
Meteor showers aren't the only reason to get outside before dawn.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
He had to be ready at dawn, but he pulled on the harness straight away—not an easy task in the limited space.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
At the republic’s dawn, James Madison anticipated that each branch’s “ambition” would counteract others’ inordinate “ambition.”
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026
The days of search, as we’ve known it since the dawn of the web, may be numbered.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
But now, in the freezing dawn, doubts crowded in.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Dawn Fazackerley-King is a Pilates instructor who lives near Ipswich and has previously spoken to the BBC about her struggles with the cost of living.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
This is WSJ travel reporter Jacob Passy filling in for Dawn Gilbertson, who is off on a much-deserved vacation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Dawn Dachenhausen, a financial adviser writing for the Retirement Strategy Group, based in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, has some words of caution for retirees who find it difficult to say no to a free lunch.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Along with Abrams, Dawn Greenberg, a 63-year-old Conley supporter, and several other women showed up at Saturday’s rally with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in Peekskill with T-shirts and buttons referencing Conley’s line.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
His cheekbone was red, like that Dawn clown from the dance had smacked him with her rouge.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
It dawns on them they’ve probably needed reading glasses for a year, maybe two.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
In some sense, this is akin to the realization that dawns on most people regarding their parents: Before we came along, they had a whole identity that had nothing to do with us.
From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2026
Investors burned by false dawns in China’s property market are reluctant to reprice assets without unmistakable signals.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
"There have been so many false dawns for us so there is surprise and delight at today's news."
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
I bang into the room before the oddity of the situation dawns on me.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Though the foldable was developed on his watch, Apple is anxious to set a tone that a new innovative day has dawned at the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Thrust into an environment full of experienced athletes, it dawned on Gunn, whose professional background is as a university lecturer, what she had got herself into.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Was there a specific moment when it dawned on the “Hacks” team that Jimmy and Kayla deserved more airtime?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The celebrations were as ecstatic on the touchline as they were in the stands; disbelief as it dawned on players, staff and fans that Wales were heading to their first semi-final.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
As the enormity of my helplessness dawned on me, my position began to slip.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
"I can't read instruction manuals, but I've watched YouTube tutorials," he says, generating a growling bass line that sounds like the dawning of the apocalypse.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
“There’s just a dawning understanding of broader American consciousness about caregiving and aging. It’s a massive infrastructure issue and economic issue that will impact all of us in some way.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
Graham Burnett, a history professor at Princeton University, sees "the dawning of an authentic movement," similar to the birth of the environmental movement in the 1960s, which led to landmark environmental protections.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
Japan isn’t the only country trying to reshore production of this strategic technology in the dawning age of AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
I made special note of which two trees the dawning sun appeared between and set my sights for the opposite direction.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
