midnight

[mid-nahyt]

noun

1. the middle of the night; twelve o'clock at night.

adjective

1. of or relating to midnight.

2. resembling midnight, as in darkness.

midnight

/ ˈmɪdˌnaɪt /

noun

1. 1. the middle of the night; 12 o'clock at night

   2. ( as modifier )

      the midnight hour

2. to work or study late into the night

Other Word Forms

• midnightly adjective
• postmidnight adjective
• premidnight noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of midnight¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English midniht. See mid-, night

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. burn the midnight oil, to study or work far into the night.

   After months of burning the midnight oil, he really needed a vacation.

Example Sentences

“I was exhausted by midnight, but I was like, ‘I have to make it no matter what,’” Patel said.

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Prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht “maliciously set” a brush fire just after midnight on Jan. 1 that eventually grew into the deadly inferno.

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Just after midnight on May 30, he left a party in his MGB sports car.

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“Once upon a midnight dreary, / while I pondered, weak and weary . . . .” Thus begins the most celebrated spooky poem by the most celebrated of spooky 19th-century American writers.

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To understand just how remarkable Saturday’s game became, as it approached midnight in State College, Pa., you first have to understand just how dull it was just after kickoff some four hours earlier.

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