evening

American  

[eev-ning] / ˈiv nɪŋ /

noun

1. the latter part of the day and early part of the night.

   Synonyms:

   nightfall, gloaming, twilight, dusk, eventide

2. the period from sunset to bedtime.

   He spent the evenings reading.

3. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. the time between noon and sunset, including the afternoon and twilight.

4. any concluding or declining period.

   the evening of life.

5. an evening's reception or entertainment.

   Their evenings at home were attended by the socially prominent.

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adjective

1. of or relating to evening.

   The evening sky shone with stars.

2. occurring or seen in the evening.

   the evening mist.

evening British  

/ ˈiːvnɪŋ /

noun

1. the latter part of the day, esp from late afternoon until nightfall

2. the latter or concluding period

   the evening of one's life

3. the early part of the night spent in a specified way

   an evening at the theatre

4. an entertainment, meeting, or reception held in the early part of the night

5. dialect the period between noon and sunset

6. (modifier) of, used, or occurring in the evening

   the evening papers

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evening Idioms  

1. see good day (evening).

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Etymology

Origin of evening

before 1000; Middle English; Old English ǣfnung, equivalent to ǣfn ( ian ) draw toward evening + -ung noun suffix

Example Sentences

School monitors recruited and trained by the city help look after children outside the classroom, including in the evening before their parents can pick them up.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The successful launch of the Artemis II mission on Wednesday and its translunar injection burn Thursday evening have been inspiring, with the smooth operations capping a two-decade effort.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Among them: a temporary loss of communications shortly after the Wednesday evening launch and a sticky valve in the water-tank system.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The four RS 25 engines and twin solid rocket boosters lit up, driving more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust into the Florida evening sky.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

It was an ideal evening without a hint of fall in it.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck