first light
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of first light
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
The first light also sets an internal timer for melatonin to be produced again 14 hours later.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026
Nonetheless, we take a page out of Hemingway’s book and leave The Mira “as soon after first light as possible.”
From Salon • Jul. 12, 2025
It was the Covid lockdown in winter 2020 that inspired the couple to create their first light show.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2024
What the folklore says is that the vampire must return to its grave before first light.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2024
They traveled endlessly, it seemed, stopping only when it became too dark to see, and starting again at first light.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
