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:
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
NBC4’s helicopter was one of several news aircraft flying over the scene of a deadly bus crash in Chatsworth Tuesday evening at sunset.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
It’s a hard day for a lot of people, so unplugging and watching the sunset is always an option.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
One hot item: a watch that changes its face in keeping with local sunrise and sunset times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Sneaking out of the house on the north side to go to a party after sunset probably isn’t a good idea.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
This is the same basic process that helps make sunsets appear orange and red.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
The benefit of year-round daylight saving time would be 5:44 p.m. sunsets shortly after Thanksgiving for Los Angeles — a delight for Angelenos unhappy with 4:44 p.m. sunsets as winter approaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Even the picturesque beaches and striking sunsets couldn’t dispel the tension among the members of Earth, Wind & Fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
The earliest sunrises happen before the summer solstice and the latest sunsets happen after.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
And pink sunsets conclude each day like the swirl of a mango, guava, and papaya sorbet.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
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.
