false dawn

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noun

zodiacal light occurring before sunrise.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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Origin of false dawn

First recorded in 1825–35

Words nearby false dawn

false color, false colors, false colour, false colours, false consciousness, false dawn, False Decretals, false diamond, false dichotomy, false dragonhead, false equivalence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use false dawn in a sentence

In important ways, it has revealed that the Obama administration, too, is a false dawn.
Grow a Pair, Democrats|Peter Beinart|August 17, 2010|DAILY BEAST
In short, it reveals that the Bush administration was a false dawn.
Grow a Pair, Democrats|Peter Beinart|August 17, 2010|DAILY BEAST
"But it is a false dawn," said the Abb Susini of Olmeta, himself an insatiable reader of newspapers, a keen and ardent politician.
The Isle of Unrest|Henry Seton Merriman
They took turns keeping the watch until the gray of false dawn became the clearer light of morning.
The Time Traders|Andre Norton

When he opened the back door he faced the west, but even the sky at that point of the compass showed the glow of the false dawn.
Sheila of Big Wreck Cove|James A. Cooper
It was a kind of false dawn—and then—ah, well, it is rather late, so suppose we get to business.
Happy House|Betsey Riddle, Freifrau von Hutten zum Stolzenberg
The Lady, looking at him over her glass, let her condescending smile fade away like a false dawn.
Strictly Business|O. Henry

British Dictionary definitions for false dawn

false dawn

noun

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