morning

American  

[mawr-ning] / ˈmɔr nɪŋ /

noun

1. the first part or period of the day, extending from dawn, or from midnight, to noon.

2. the beginning of day; dawn.

   Morning is almost here.

   Synonyms:

   sunrise, daybreak, morn

3. the first or early period of anything; beginning.

   the morning of life.

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adjective

1. of or relating to morning.

   the morning hours.

2. occurring, appearing, used, etc., in the morning.

   a morning coffee break.

morning British  

/ ˈmɔːnɪŋ /

noun

1. the first part of the day, ending at or around noon

2. sunrise; daybreak; dawn

3. the beginning or early period

   the morning of the world

4. informal the aftereffects of excess, esp a hangover

5. (modifier) of, used, or occurring in the morning

   morning coffee

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morning Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing morning

• Monday-morning quarterback
• good day (morning)

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Usage

What is a basic definition of morning? Morning refers to the beginning of the day. Morning is used figuratively to refer to the beginning of anything. Morning is also used to describe something that involves or occurs during the morning. Depending on who you ask, the exact hours of the morning will be different. Generally speaking, morning begins either at sunrise or at midnight (12 a.m.) and ends at noon (12 p.m.).

• Real-life examples: People usually sleep at night and wake up in the morning. The sun rises in the morning. Roosters are known to crow during the morning when the sun comes up.
• Used in a sentence: I would rather sleep until noon than wake up early in the morning.

Morning is also used figuratively to mean the beginning of something, such as a life, or an early period of something.

• Real-life examples: The first movies were made in the morning of the film industry. Babyhood is the morning of a human’s life.
• Used in a sentence: Archaeologists discovered artifacts left behind by people who lived during the morning of civilization.

As an adjective, morning means that something is related to the morning or happens during the morning.

• Real-life examples: A morning person likes being awake in the morning. A morning shower is taken in the early part of the day.
• Used in a sentence: Delivering the morning newspaper means waking up at 5 a.m.

Other Word Forms

• premorning adjective

Etymology

Origin of morning

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English; morn + -ing ¹; modeled on evening

Explanation

Morning is the earliest part of the day. No matter what time you get up, morning ends at noon. Originally, in the 13th century, morning meant the time just before sunrise. Now, morning technically starts at 12:00am and lasts until 12:00pm. If you describe yourself as a "morning person," you like to get up early. Strangely enough, a "night person," who stays up very late might not go to bed until several early-morning hours have passed.

Example Sentences

If Evans left a bar and Swalwell stayed for another drink, he would still be on the train the next morning at 7 a.m.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

TSMC’s American depositary receipts were down 0.3% in morning trading Wednesday, but have more than doubled over the past 12 months.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

On the morning of 28 April - the day he was arrested at the embassy - he was still in touch with the charities about his asylum application.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

A message left for one of Perez’s attorneys was not immediately returned on Wednesday morning.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

“Good morning, Little Two,” Clare greeted her, though he didn’t expect a response.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• dawn