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false dawn

American  

noun

  1. zodiacal light occurring before sunrise.


false dawn British  

noun

  1. zodiacal light appearing just before sunrise

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of false dawn

First recorded in 1825–35

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.

See Examples For:

But it looks like that tentative rebound was another false dawn for the cryptocurrencies.

From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026

The question now is whether this represents a false dawn on inflation, or the start of a durable decline in rising costs — and interest rates.

From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

The next week or so will show whether or not this is a false dawn with U.S. payrolls numbers due on Friday, U.S.

From Reuters ● Mar. 6, 2023

And to be fair, this prediction could still be vindicated if recent progress against inflation turns out to be a false dawn.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 27, 2022

I curled up behind the table and slept a little while until in the dim false dawn Charley looked into my face and said “Ftt.”

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

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