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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 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

"We had a false dawn back in 2016," explains Roland Orzabal, the band's chief songwriter and joint vocalist.

From BBC Mar. 3, 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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