dawn

¹

[dawn]

noun

1. the first appearance of daylight in the morning.

   Dawn broke over the valley.

   Synonyms: sunrise, daybreak
   Antonyms: sunset

2. the beginning or rise of anything; advent.

   the dawn of civilization.

verb (used without object)

1. to begin to grow light in the morning.

   The day dawned with a cloudless sky.

2. to begin to open or develop.

3. to begin to be perceived (usually followed byon ).

   The idea dawned on him.

   Synonyms: break, occur, appear

Dawn

²

[dawn]

noun

1. a female given name.

dawn

/ dɔːn /

noun

1. daybreak; sunrise

2. the sky when light first appears in the morning

3. the beginning of something

verb

1. to begin to grow light after the night

2. to begin to develop, appear, or expand

3. to begin to become apparent (to)

Other Word Forms

• dawnlike adjective
• undawned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dawn¹

First recorded before 1150; Middle English dawen (verb), Old English dagian, derivative of dæg day; akin to Old Norse daga, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German dagen, Old High German tagēn

Word History and Origins

Origin of dawn¹

Old English dagian to dawn; see _day

Idioms and Phrases

• crack of dawn
• light dawned

Example Sentences

It dawned on me that he thought we were two strangers chatting at the bus stop.

From BBC

It is just after dawn, and he gestures for me to stay still and keep quiet.

From BBC

To get ahead in the deadly race for food, many Palestinians arrive at the GHF sites long before dawn.

From BBC

"Any first human spaceflight mission of a new space system, new rocket system and spacecraft is hugely exciting, because it's the dawn of new possibilities," he said.

From BBC

"We are running out of opportunities to address the past and we cannot afford another false dawn."

From BBC

Related Words

• dawning 
• daybreak 
• daylight 
• morning