daylight-saving time

American  

[dey-lahyt-sey-ving] / ˈdeɪˌlaɪtˈseɪ vɪŋ /

Or daylight-savings time

noun

1. the civil time observed when daylight saving is adopted in a country or community.

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daylight-saving time British  

noun

1. Also called (in the US): daylight time.  time set usually one hour ahead of the local standard time, widely adopted in the summer to provide extra daylight in the evening See also British Summer Time

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daylight-saving time Scientific  

/ dā′līt-sā′vĭng /

1. Time during which clocks are set one hour or more ahead of standard time to provide more daylight at the end of the working day during late spring, summer, and early fall. First proposed by Benjamin Franklin, daylight saving time was instituted in various countries during both world wars in the 20th century and was made permanent in most of the United States beginning in 1973. Arizona, Hawaii, most of eastern Indiana, and certain US territories and possessions do not observe daylight saving time.

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Etymology

Origin of daylight-saving time

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

In fact, the shift to daylight-saving time is, on average, followed by one of the worst days for the stock market.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

And so, daylight-saving time ends on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, at 2 a.m., and with it, so does the ability to experience sunlight outside of working hours.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 5, 2022

It is the latest step in the EU’s harmonisation of daylight-saving time first launched in the 1980s in an attempt to prevent divergent approaches from undermining the European single market.

From The Guardian • Mar. 26, 2019

Last fall, the night before daylight-saving time ended, an all-user e-mail alert went out.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 5, 2018

It was precisely noon, daylight-saving time, on July 4th, 1921, when I stood on the corner referred to and, strange to say, found it practically deserted.

From The Cruise of the Kawa by Chappell, George S. (George Shepard)