daylight

American  

[dey-lahyt] / ˈdeɪˌlaɪt /

noun

1. the light of day.

   At the end of the tunnel they could see daylight.

2. public knowledge or awareness; openness.

   The newspaper article brought the scandal out into the daylight.

3. the period of day; daytime.

4. daybreak; dawn.

5. a clear space or gap, especially between two people or things that should be close together, as between the knees of a horseback rider and a saddle.

6. disagreement or mental distance between two people.

   There's very little daylight between the two senators' stances on the issue.

7. Informal. daylights, mental soundness, consciousness, or wits: I'd like to beat/knock the daylights out of him!

   The noise scared the daylights out of us.

   I'd like to beat/knock the daylights out of him!

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adjective

1. Photography. of, relating to, or being film made for exposure by the natural light of day.

verb (used with object)

daylighted, daylit, daylighting

1. to suffuse (an interior space) with artificial light or with daylight filtered through translucent materials, as roofing panels.

idioms

1. see daylight, to progress to a point where completion of a difficult task seems possible or probable.

daylight British  

/ ˈdeɪˌlaɪt /

noun

1. 1. light from the sun

   2. ( as modifier )

      daylight film

2. the period when it is light; daytime

3. daybreak

4. 1. to understand something previously obscure

   2. to realize that the end of a difficult task is approaching

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daylight More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing daylight

• beat the living daylights out of
• begin to see daylight
• in broad daylight
• let daylight through
• scare out of one's wits (the living daylights out of)

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Other Word Forms

• predaylight noun

Etymology

Origin of daylight

A Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; day , light ¹

Example Sentences

Following the spring equinox most of the northern hemisphere is now enjoying more than 12 hours of daylight each day.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Even in winter, when clocks were set back, they remained one hour ahead of GMT, again to maximise usable daylight and support wartime productivity.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

They were also more active during daylight hours.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

One side constantly faces the star, leaving it locked in permanent daylight.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

He’d walked there in the daylight and his feet knew the way, but the sounds were different now.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

Related Words

• dawn
• daytime
• sunlight
• sunshine