dawn on

Idioms  

1. Also, dawn upon. Become evident or understood, as in It finally dawned on him that he was expected to call them, or Around noon it dawned upon me that I had never eaten breakfast. This expression transfers the beginning of daylight to the beginning of a thought process. Harriet Beecher Stowe had it in Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852): “The idea that they had either feelings or rights had never dawned upon her.” [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

It rained until dawn on Tuesday, or so Pa told me later.

From Literature

That strike, at dawn on January 9, left half the capital without heating and many residents without electricity for days in sub-zero temperatures.

From Barron's

A shriek broke the dawn on the savannah, followed by more screeches and the rustle of branches: The wild Fongoli chimps were bidding each other good morning in the dry, scraggly Sahel.

From Barron's

Before dawn on Saturday, US special forces broke into Maduro's compound and spirited him and his wife away.

From BBC

It will peak between 3 and 4 January with the best viewing conditions before dawn on 4 January.

From BBC

Related Words

• affect
• carry
• get
• hit
• move
• reach
• touch