daytime
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of daytime
Explanation
When the sun is lighting up the sky outside, it's daytime. Most adults are at work during the daytime and come home at nighttime. While daytime is defined as "after sunrise and before sunset," it describes this time of day even on dark, gray, days, or in parts of the world that get limited sunlight during the winter. A more accurate way to think of daytime is the hours after you wake up in the morning and before you start to think about going to bed at night. When it's daytime where you are, it's nighttime on the opposite hemisphere of the Earth.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Thursday, the “Last Week Tonight” host kicks off a guest-star arc on ABC’s long-running daytime soap “General Hospital,” which continues through Friday and then Monday, July 6.
From Salon • Jun. 30, 2026
"We're hoping nothing happens. And, as experience shows, attacks during the daytime are quite rare," he added.
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
The host of the weekly series that takes sharply comedic aim at government and institutions announced during his June 28 episode that he will appear on the daytime soap on July 2, 3 and 6.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026
Ban daytime heat indoors: Appliances are secret radiators.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026
I just thought it was so weird to be outside in the daytime with a grown-up.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
