DST

¹ American  

1. daylight-saving time.

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D.S.T. ² American  

abbreviation

1. daylight-saving time.

2. Doctor of Sacred Theology.

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DST British  

abbreviation

1. Daylight Saving Time

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DST Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of daylight-saving time

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Usage

What does DST stand for? DST is an abbreviation for daylight-saving time, the period during which the time is adjusted in order to gain an extra hour of daylight in the evening during part of the year.Daylight-saving time begins in the spring, when clocks are set one hour ahead. They are then set one hour back in the fall. Daylight-saving time is also commonly called daylight-savings time.The term daylight saving (or daylight savings) refers to the practice of adjusting the time in this way. Both of these terms can be used as short forms of daylight-saving time. All of these terms can also refer to the specific mode of time that’s being used during a particular period, as opposed to standard time.People often use the simple mnemonic spring forward, fall back to remember to set clocks forward one hour (e.g., from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.) in the spring and backward one hour (e.g., from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m.) in the fall. This is often seen as resulting in one less hour of sleep time on the day that the clocks are adjusted in the spring and one more hour when they’re changed in the fall.Daylight-saving time is widespread, but it is not observed everywhere or in the same way in all locations. In the U.S., for example, daylight-saving time is not observed by the states of Arizona or Hawaii.Example: Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead for DST.

Example Sentences

Existing investors such as Thrive Capital and DST Global also participated in this funding round, the company’s third this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

Every presidential election since 2005’s DST expansion has arrived two days after the time change.

From Slate • Oct. 31, 2025

One thing is clear: there’s no consensus on if California should end DST forever or make it the norm.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2025

DST is the practice of moving the clock ahead by one hour in the spring and back an hour in the autumn to make better use of natural daylight.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2024

Tencati went into the meeting with DST at the FBI offices prepared.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette