dusk
1 Americannoun
-
the state or period of partial darkness between day and night; the dark part of twilight.
-
partial darkness; shade; gloom.
She was barely visible in the dusk of the room.
adjective
verb (used with or without object)
noun
-
twilight or the darker part of twilight
-
poetic gloom; shade
adjective
verb
Other Word Forms
- duskish adjective
Etymology
Origin of dusk1
First recorded in 1615–25; back formation from dusky
Origin of dusk2
before 1000; Middle English duske (adj.), dusken (v.); metathetic alteration of Old English dox dusky, doxian to turn dark; cognate with L. fuscus dark
Explanation
Dusk is the period of time between sunset and nightfall. Many parents allow their children to roam freely in their neighborhood as long as they are home by dusk. For some, dusk is seen as a mysterious, almost magical time, serving as the bridge between the brightness of day and the darkness of night. The English language contains numerous synonyms for dusk including crepuscule, evenfall, and gloaming. Owing perhaps to the mystical qualities associated with dusk, these words are better suited for poetry than for daily use.
Vocabulary lists containing dusk
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The Circuit
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
I would stand in our kitchen at dusk, the marine layer settling in, peaceful as I loaded the dishwasher in a life I hadn’t necessarily seen for myself.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
After working in her new home studio, Baker says she marvels at the beauty of dusk — the depth of orange and blue — as she drives to pick up her kids from school.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
A surge in cases among migrant workers at a quarry site in Mandera last year led authorities to restrict movement at dusk and dawn when sandflies are most active.
From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026
At dusk, people went to their balconies and rooftops to chant God is greatest, as their parents had against the Shah, until that petered out too.
From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026
This limited them to very short feeding periods at dusk.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
