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:
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
Campari spent decades teaching Americans to love the Italian tradition of bitter aperitifs at sunset.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
"But ultimately she will sail off into the sunset and who could possibly deserve it more."
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
At sunset, Percy found Nico tying ropes around the pedestal of the Athena Parthenos.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
This is the same basic process that helps make sunsets appear orange and red.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
In San Francisco this year, sunsets at 8 p.m. or later occur from May 1 through Aug. 17.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The sunsets, which feature every shade of sorbet imaginable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The earliest sunrises happen before the summer solstice and the latest sunsets happen after.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
How had he lived twelve years and never known this about sunsets?
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
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.
