tonight
Americannoun
adverb
-
on this present night; on the night of this present day.
-
Obsolete. during last night.
noun
adverb
-
in or during the night or evening of this day
-
archaic last night
Etymology
Origin of tonight
before 1000; Middle English to night, Old English tō niht. See to, night
Explanation
Tonight is the evening that happens on the current day—not last night, not tomorrow night, but tonight. If your favorite TV show is on tonight, you'd better hurry up and finish your homework so you can tune in. If your friend suggests seeing a movie tonight, she means the upcoming night, the one that immediately follows today. Prior to the 18th century, tonight was two separate words, to night, and then until the 20th century, it was hyphenated: to-night.
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.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she is "absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight" in a post on X.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
"I thought the performance tonight was near perfect," he said afterwards.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“We lost an icon of our game tonight in Barry Melrose,” Gretzky wrote on his Instagram Story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
If the rah-rah of politics isn’t your thing, there is another team sport on tonight: The NFL season opener with the New England Patriots taking on the Seattle Seahawks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Maggie said she’d watch them, but I’ve got to dry the dishes tonight in her place.”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
