sunset
Americannoun
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sunsets
plural
adjective
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(of an industry, technology, etc.) old; declining.
sunset industries.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of a sunset law.
to add sunset restrictions to a bill.
noun
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the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon
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the atmospheric phenomena accompanying this disappearance
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Also called: sundown. the time at which the sun sets at a particular locality
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the final stage or closing period, as of a person's life
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sunset
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at sun, set
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:
Those hardships are visible after sunset, when electricity fails, disappearing entire neighborhoods into stifling darkness.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
“I will step off now into the sunset and not be available for comment.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
At night races, for example, there will be more flexibility to allow the race to run later than at a daytime race when there is a relatively early sunset.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
The impact churned up and loosened the material around the crater, leaving it less dense and less able to hold onto heat after sunset.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Long before sunset, Nhamo was too exhausted to row, so she brought the oar inside and stretched out with Aunt Chipo’s scarf over her head.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
There’s wilderness, beautiful beaches, amazing sunsets and time for a teenager to reflect on the future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
People on other continents watch in trepidation under vivid, red-orange sunrises and sunsets.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
This year, thanks to daylight saving time, Los Angeles is seeing sunsets at 8 p.m. or later from June 1 to July 25.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The sunsets, which feature every shade of sorbet imaginable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Because I can count on my fingers the number of sunsets I have left, and I don’t want to miss any of them.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
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.
