dawn

¹

[dawn]

noun

1. the first appearance of daylight in the morning.

   Dawn broke over the valley.

   Synonyms: sunrise, daybreak
   Antonyms: sunset

2. the beginning or rise of anything; advent.

   the dawn of civilization.

verb (used without object)

1. to begin to grow light in the morning.

   The day dawned with a cloudless sky.

2. to begin to open or develop.

3. to begin to be perceived (usually followed byon ).

   The idea dawned on him.

   Synonyms: break, occur, appear

Dawn

²

[dawn]

noun

1. a female given name.

dawn

/ dɔːn /

noun

1. daybreak; sunrise

2. the sky when light first appears in the morning

3. the beginning of something

verb

1. to begin to grow light after the night

2. to begin to develop, appear, or expand

3. to begin to become apparent (to)

Other Word Forms

• dawnlike adjective
• undawned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dawn¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dawn¹

Old English dagian to dawn; see _day

Idioms and Phrases

• crack of dawn
• light dawned

Example Sentences

Wales' players were crestfallen at the final whistle, glazed looks in their eyes as it dawned on them that a huge opportunity had slipped through their grasp.

Read more on BBC

"Looking at the global picture of deforestation, it is dark, but we may be in the darkness before the dawn," she said.

Read more on Barron's

“This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Serhii Plokhy’s “The Nuclear Age” ably presents the variability of political, military and ethical considerations that have been central to decision makers since the dawn of the atomic era in the 1940s.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The 11 rival candidates have made numerous public appearances in recent weeks, each promising a new dawn for Cameroon in place of Biya's entrenched hold on public life.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• dawning 
• daybreak 
• daylight 
• morning