overnight
Americanadverb
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for or during the night.
to stay overnight.
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on or during the previous evening.
Preparations were made overnight.
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very quickly; suddenly.
New suburbs sprang up overnight.
adjective
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done, made, occurring, or continuing during the night.
an overnight stop; an overnight decision.
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staying for one night.
a group of overnight guests.
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designed to be used on a trip or for a journey lasting one night or only a few nights.
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intended for delivery on the next day.
overnight letters; an overnight package.
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valid for one night.
The corporal got an overnight pass.
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occurring suddenly or within a very short time.
a comedian who became an overnight sensation.
noun
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Informal. an overnight stay or trip.
Our daughter had an overnight at a friend's house.
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Informal. a permit for overnight absence, as from a college dormitory.
She had an overnight the night of the prom.
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the previous evening.
verb (used without object)
adverb
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for the duration of the night
we stopped overnight
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in or as if in the course of one night; suddenly
the situation changed overnight
adjective
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done in, occurring in, or lasting the night
an overnight stop
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staying for one night
overnight guests
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lasting one night
an overnight trip
an overnight bank loan
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for use during a single night
overnight clothes
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occurring in or as if in the course of one night; sudden
an overnight victory
verb
Etymology
Origin of overnight
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at over-, night
Explanation
When something happens overnight, it occurs during the hours of one night. An overnight party can also be called a sleepover or a slumber party. (Pack your sleeping bag, but you probably won't use it.) You can use overnight as an adverb or adjective literally meaning "during the night" — like an overnight airplane flight or a guest who stays overnight on your couch. You can also use it figuratively, to mean "quickly" or "instant." After you publish your first book, you may be an overnight success; and after an important election, the world may seem to change overnight.
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.
Voting took place across the tiny Mediterranean island nation on Saturday, and ballots were ferried overnight to the Counting Hall in Naxxar, where counting begins on Sunday morning.
From Barron's • May 31, 2026
South East Water said overnight repairs to a burst main in Canterbury had restored supply to customers in part of the city who had no water on Saturday.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
Internet access took a battering ram to information’s door, sending dizzying amounts of data our way overnight.
From Salon • May 30, 2026
For people who work overnight, that natural rhythm can be disrupted.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
The priest told Farmer stories of the dam, about the chaos and instability it had created almost overnight.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
