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
Celestial Words To Mark The Winter Solstice
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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.
Parkin said while "it won't go pitch black", it would "go semi-dark, it'll be like dusk", leaving only a thin crescent of sunlight visible.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The fact that Saturn's cusp is displaced toward dusk provides evidence that a planet's rotation rate can fundamentally reshape its nearby space environment.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
The traps are laid in the afternoon and picked up the following morning, allowing them to collect mosquitoes at dusk and dawn, when the insects are most active.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
In the early evening, just before dusk, the sun peeks through the trees and warms the bench.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
I stopped at last and looked round, peering at the boy who had come up panting, but it was dusk and I did not recognise him.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
