midnight

American  

[mid-nahyt] / ˈmɪdˌnaɪt /

noun

1. the middle of the night; twelve o'clock at night.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to midnight.

2. resembling midnight, as in darkness.

idioms

1. burn the midnight oil, to study or work far into the night.

   After months of burning the midnight oil, he really needed a vacation.

midnight British  

/ ˈmɪdˌnaɪt /

noun

1. 1. the middle of the night; 12 o'clock at night

   2. ( as modifier )

      the midnight hour

2. to work or study late into the night

---

Other Word Forms

• midnightly adjective
• postmidnight adjective
• premidnight noun

Etymology

Origin of midnight

before 900; Middle English; Old English midniht. See mid-, night

Example Sentences

As a Hindu, 25 December does not hold any religious significance, but he and his Christian wife Josephine enjoy celebrating each other's traditions, with midnight Mass on Christmas Eve a definite on the festive calendar.

From BBC

About 10 minutes before midnight, the grocery store is still bustling with activity.

From Los Angeles Times

As it gets closer to midnight, the dark conference room swells with bodies moving to Iriarte’s pulsing techno.

From Los Angeles Times

Wednesday: The latest weather models show the region’s heaviest rainfall totals — from a half an inch to 1 inch per hour — could occur between midnight Tuesday and noon Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times

On a typical day, he doesn’t eat dinner until close to midnight.

From The Wall Street Journal