dawn

[ dawn ]
See synonyms for dawn on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the first appearance of daylight in the morning: Dawn broke over the valley.

  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.

  1. to begin to be perceived (usually followed by on): The idea dawned on him.

Origin of dawn

1
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

Other words for dawn

Opposites for dawn

Other words from dawn

  • dawnlike, adjective
  • un·dawned, adjective

Other definitions for Dawn (2 of 2)

Dawn
[ dawn ]

noun
  1. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for dawn

dawn

/ (dɔːn) /


noun
  1. daybreak; sunrise: Related adjective: auroral

  2. the sky when light first appears in the morning

  1. the beginning of something

verb(intr)
  1. to begin to grow light after the night

  2. to begin to develop, appear, or expand

  1. (usually foll by on or upon) to begin to become apparent (to)

Origin of dawn

1
Old English dagian to dawn; see day

Derived forms of dawn

  • dawnlike, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with dawn

dawn

In addition to the idiom beginning with dawn

  • dawn on

also see:

  • crack of dawn
  • light dawned

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.