Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • eve
    eve
    noun
    the evening or the day before a holiday, church festival, or any date or event.
  • Eve
    Eve
    noun
    (in the Bible) the name of the first woman: wife of Adam and progenitor of the human race.
Synonyms

eve

1 American  
[eev] / iv /

noun

  1. (sometimes initial capital letter) the evening or the day before a holiday, church festival, or any date or event.

    Christmas Eve; the eve of an execution.

  2. the period preceding or leading up to any event, crisis, etc..

    on the eve of the American Revolution.

  3. the evening.


Eve 2 American  
[eev] / iv /

noun

  1. (in the Bible) the name of the first woman: wife of Adam and progenitor of the human race.

  2. a female given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “life.”


eve 1 British  
/ iːv /

noun

    1. the evening or day before some special event or festival

    2. ( capital when part of a name )

      New Year's Eve

  1. the period immediately before an event

    on the eve of civil war

  2. an archaic word for evening

"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

Eve 2 British  
/ iːv /

noun

  1. Old Testament the first woman; mother of the human race, fashioned by God from the rib of Adam (Genesis 2:18-25)

"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

Eve Cultural  
  1. In the Book of Genesis, the first woman. (See Adam and Eve and Creation.)


eve Idioms  

Etymology

Origin of eve

1200–50; Middle English; variant of even 2

Explanation

An eve is the day — or night — just before some event. You might call the day before your birthday your "birthday eve." Some holidays are well-known for having the proceeding days distinguished as eves: many of us celebrate New Year's Eve, others gather for meals on Christmas Eve or Passover Eve, and the word "Halloween" comes from "All Hallow's Eve." The word eve is sometimes also a shortened form of evening, the last part of the day: "It stays light so late on a summer's eve."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing eve

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.

Investigators say he was in the area working as an Uber driver and dropping off passengers on New Year’s Eve near an area where he formerly lived.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

“We were just trying to show them that it’s really important, and we’ll try to help you get started,” said Crumm, , a financial planner and owner of Belle Eve Financial.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

Research compiled by Eve Boboch, Kathy Donnelly, Eric Krull and Kurt Daill in the book “The Lifecycle Trade” found that more than 90% of IPOs eventually trade below their first-day low.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

Now, the Oscar-winning director is returning to that theme once again with Disclosure Day, a sci-fi thriller starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colman Domingo, Colin Firth and Eve Hewson.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

“Then how come you Eve in a hotel?” demanded Brad.

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "eve" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com