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
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.
But many recall how the place kept alive a fragment of Delhi's elite past through small rituals: liveried waiters at dusk, gin and lime on shaded verandas, retired generals and diplomats lingering under neem trees.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
Every dawn or dusk, Sevidov leaves his grey apartment block on the outskirts of Kryvyi Rig, an industrial city in central Ukraine, to see what birds he can spot.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
They were outdoors working from dawn to dusk, and many ended up with frostbite on their hands and feet.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
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
When dusk actually closed, and when Adèle left me to go and play in the nursery with Sophie, I did most keenly desire it.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
