definitions
  • synonyms

dawning

[ daw-ning ]
/ ˈdɔ nɪŋ /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dawning ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

daybreak; dawn.
beginning; start: the dawning of the space age.

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RELATED WORDS

daybreak, morning, daylight, sunup, morn, cockcrow, sunrise

Nearby words

dawn patrol, dawn phenomenon, dawn raid, dawn redwood, dawney, dawning, dawson, dawson creek, dawson, sir john william, dawsonite, dax

Origin of dawning

Middle English; see dawn, -ing1
Related formsun·dawn·ing, adjective

Definition for dawning (2 of 2)

dawn

[ dawn ]
/ dɔn /

noun

the first appearance of daylight in the morning: Dawn broke over the valley.
the beginning or rise of anything; advent: the dawn of civilization.

verb (used without object)

to begin to grow light in the morning: The day dawned with a cloudless sky.
to begin to open or develop.
to begin to be perceived (usually followed by on): The idea dawned on him.

Origin of dawn

before 1150; Middle English dawen (v.), Old English dagian, derivative of dæg day; akin to Old Norse daga, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German dagen, Old High German tagēn
SYNONYMS FOR dawn
1 daybreak, sunrise.
5 appear, occur, break.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dawn ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formsdawn·like, adjectiveun·dawned, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dawning

British Dictionary definitions for dawning

dawn

/ (dɔːn) /

noun

daybreak; sunriseRelated adjective: auroral
the sky when light first appears in the morning
the beginning of something

verb (intr)

to begin to grow light after the night
to begin to develop, appear, or expand
(usually foll by on or upon) to begin to become apparent (to)
Derived Formsdawnlike, adjective

Word Origin for dawn

Old English dagian to dawn; see day
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with dawning

dawn

In addition to the idiom beginning with dawn

  • dawn on

also see:

  • crack of dawn
  • light dawned
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.