daylight

American  

[dey-lahyt] / ˈdeɪˌlaɪt /

noun

1. the light of day.

   At the end of the tunnel they could see daylight.

2. public knowledge or awareness; openness.

   The newspaper article brought the scandal out into the daylight.

3. the period of day; daytime.

4. daybreak; dawn.

5. a clear space or gap, especially between two people or things that should be close together, as between the knees of a horseback rider and a saddle.

6. disagreement or mental distance between two people.

   There's very little daylight between the two senators' stances on the issue.

7. Informal. daylights, mental soundness, consciousness, or wits: I'd like to beat/knock the daylights out of him!

   The noise scared the daylights out of us.

   I'd like to beat/knock the daylights out of him!

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adjective

1. Photography. of, relating to, or being film made for exposure by the natural light of day.

verb (used with object)

daylighted, daylit, daylighting

1. to suffuse (an interior space) with artificial light or with daylight filtered through translucent materials, as roofing panels.

idioms

1. see daylight, to progress to a point where completion of a difficult task seems possible or probable.

daylight British  

/ ˈdeɪˌlaɪt /

noun

1. 1. light from the sun

   2. ( as modifier )

      daylight film

2. the period when it is light; daytime

3. daybreak

4. 1. to understand something previously obscure

   2. to realize that the end of a difficult task is approaching

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daylight More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing daylight

• beat the living daylights out of
• begin to see daylight
• in broad daylight
• let daylight through
• scare out of one's wits (the living daylights out of)

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Other Word Forms

• predaylight noun

Etymology

Origin of daylight

A Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; day , light ¹

Example Sentences

Management said the Louvre, which was the victim of an embarrassing daylight robbery on October 19, would open "as normal" on Friday.

From Barron's

The attack didn’t occur in a dark alley or at the margins of society but in daylight at one of Australia’s most famous public spaces.

From The Wall Street Journal

Two heists made in broad daylight present a scarier challenge for museums worn out by soup-throwing protesters.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was summer, so there was no darkness — only pure daylight.

From Los Angeles Times

A water leak at the Louvre museum in Paris has damaged hundreds of works, just weeks after thieves stole priceless French crown jewels from the museum in broad daylight.

From BBC

Related Words

• dawn
• daytime
• sunlight
• sunshine