midnight sun

American

[mid-nahyt suhn] / ˈmɪdˌnaɪt ˈsʌn /

noun

the sun visible at midnight in Arctic and Antarctic regions during their summer months.

midnight sun British

noun

the sun visible at midnight during local summer inside the Arctic and Antarctic circles

"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 midnight sun

First recorded in 1855–60

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.

“We were in the midnight sun, slowly slaloming through huge icebergs, and the light was just incredible when it shone over the icebergs... That was just really beautiful.”

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2024

I floated with eyes closed against the midnight sun.

From Washington Post • Aug. 19, 2021

Celebrating the arrival of summer solstice, this festival keeps the party going for three days under the midnight sun.

From The Guardian • May 1, 2019

Under a midnight sun shrouded in heavy gray clouds, the researchers dress for a full shift of hard labor and motor into shore.

From National Geographic • Nov. 14, 2017

We saw the midnight sun for the first time during the night of April 2d.

From Farthest North Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship 'Fram' 1893-1896 by Nansen, Fridtjof

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023