predawn

American  

[pree-dawn, pree-] / priˈdɔn, ˈpri- /

noun

1. the period immediately preceding dawn.

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adjective

1. noting the time immediately prior to dawn.

Etymology

Origin of predawn

First recorded in 1945–50; pre- + dawn

Example Sentences

An attempted theft of copper wire on Tuesday led to a predawn barricade situation — inside a city manhole — authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that "in two predawn operations today, the Coast Guard conducted back-to-back meticulously co-ordinated boarding of two 'ghost fleet' tanker ships".

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

Tankers headed to Venezuela changed course or became stationary following Saturday’s predawn incursion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

In Hermiston, Ore., Marc Benner, 60, arrives in the predawn hours at a data-center construction site and lines up with scores of workers for a series of synchronized stretches.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

During a predawn breakfast of liver pate and fig cookies, we gather around Tigris’s television for one of Beetee’s break-ins.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins