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morning

American  
[mawr-ning] / ˈmɔr nɪŋ /

noun

  • mornings
    plural
  1. An image of the word morning as defined by the first part or period of the day, extending from dawn, or from midnight, to noon.

    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.


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

"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

morning Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing morning


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

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing morning

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:

She often sits on the bench in the morning with a cup of tea.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The next morning the app allowed me to unlock an adapter on the charger so the Tesla station would work with my Kia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday morning at Fresno County Superior Court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Early Monday morning, agents from Homeland Security Investigations, part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, surrounded Omar’s home and entered the premises, then left with boxes and other items.

From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2026

In the morning, they will sail to safety in Australia.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Claire spoke plain English, and he would go on “Dodger Talk” on Sunday mornings to speak directly with fans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

On certain mornings, I’d welcome every bit of that.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

It’s a Sunday morning, and in the tradition of Sunday mornings, I’m luxuriating in having nowhere to go and nowhere to be.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

An early riser who starts many mornings with knuckle push-ups and stair climbing, Foran, 65, is often at the office by 6 a.m.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

So now instead I work side by side with Tía Mazal most mornings.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

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