crack of dawn

American  

noun

1. the part of morning when light first appears in the sky.

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crack of dawn Idioms  

1. Very early morning, daybreak. For example, I got up at the crack of dawn. The crack in this term alludes either to the suddenness of sunrise or to the small wedge of light appearing as the sun rises over the horizon. Originally the term was usually put as crack of day. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

The history makers didn't hit the Boston town on Saturday night, but instead were up at the crack of dawn on Sunday for some downtime with their families and friends.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

Jordan says when she was 4 she got up at the crack of dawn every day and put in a VHS tape of a ballet class that her mother, Mary Lim, had bought.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

They don’t leave until the crack of dawn.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

Around the crack of dawn, a line begins forming at a strip mall in Hyattsville, Maryland, as residents ranging from students to delivery workers and federal contractors wait to sign up for food assistance.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

I expected to be shaken awake at the crack of dawn, but when I finally woke, the sun was streaming through the gabled windows.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

Related Words

• dawning
• daybreak
• daylight
• morning