overnight
Americanadverb
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for or during the night.
to stay overnight.
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on or during the previous evening.
Preparations were made overnight.
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very quickly; suddenly.
New suburbs sprang up overnight.
adjective
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done, made, occurring, or continuing during the night.
an overnight stop; an overnight decision.
-
staying for one night.
a group of overnight guests.
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designed to be used on a trip or for a journey lasting one night or only a few nights.
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intended for delivery on the next day.
overnight letters; an overnight package.
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valid for one night.
The corporal got an overnight pass.
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occurring suddenly or within a very short time.
a comedian who became an overnight sensation.
noun
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Informal. an overnight stay or trip.
Our daughter had an overnight at a friend's house.
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Informal. a permit for overnight absence, as from a college dormitory.
She had an overnight the night of the prom.
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the previous evening.
verb (used without object)
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overnights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overnighted,
past participle, past
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overnighting
present participle
adverb
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for the duration of the night
we stopped overnight
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in or as if in the course of one night; suddenly
the situation changed overnight
adjective
-
done in, occurring in, or lasting the night
an overnight stop
-
staying for one night
overnight guests
-
lasting one night
an overnight trip
an overnight bank loan
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for use during a single night
overnight clothes
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occurring in or as if in the course of one night; sudden
an overnight victory
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overnightsimple
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overnightssimple
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have overnightedperfect
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has overnightedperfect
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am overnightingprogressive
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are overnightingprogressive
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is overnightingprogressive
-
have been overnightingperfect progressive
-
has been overnightingperfect progressive
Past
-
overnightedsimple
-
had overnightedperfect
-
was overnightingprogressive
-
were overnightingprogressive
-
had been overnightingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overnight
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at over-, night
Explanation
When something happens overnight, it occurs during the hours of one night. An overnight party can also be called a sleepover or a slumber party. (Pack your sleeping bag, but you probably won't use it.) You can use overnight as an adverb or adjective literally meaning "during the night" — like an overnight airplane flight or a guest who stays overnight on your couch. You can also use it figuratively, to mean "quickly" or "instant." After you publish your first book, you may be an overnight success; and after an important election, the world may seem to change overnight.
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:
A deal needed to be done overnight, Mann was told.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Offshore wind power, a complement to solar because it blows overnight, is lagging in California in the face of powerful political opposition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Many stayed outside overnight as dozens of aftershocks threatened to bring down compromised buildings.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
This is particularly true for the overnight repurchase, or repo, market, where borrowers pledge bonds for cash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
When he leaves his flat in the early afternoon to find something to eat, the streets are already buzzing with the news: a strange circus has appeared overnight, just west of the city.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Nobody imagined using Wi-Fi to livestream Thursday Night Football from a multinational tech conglomerate that also overnights toilet paper and garden gnomes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Stays at Swiss five-star hotels make up around 8% of all overnights, but the guests in them contribute at least 25% of Switzerland's total revenue from tourism.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2025
Yelmi Martinez, a single mother of three in Fresno who works overnights stocking shelves at a Walmart, said she’ll likely need to visit a food bank over the holidays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2023
The one facility type where overnights fell significantly since 2019 was retreat centers, down nearly 100%.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2022
Conrad and I had just thought he was having overnights.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
The pastries look as if they were overnighted from Paris, even as the signature breakfast sandwich — a biscuit with fried chicken, pimento cheese and hot honey — showcases Southern cuisine.
From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2024
He said he paid extra to have it overnighted to his home.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 13, 2023
Of the affected voters, a lawyer for the county told the court that 585 had already been overnighted a ballot or had canceled their absentee ballot and voted early.
From Reuters ● Nov. 7, 2022
She occasionally overnighted about an hour outside Detroit with Judy Chiodo, a fellow Trump rally-trotter, rather than drive all the way home to Sault Ste. Marie.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 15, 2021
My sister overnighted me an oximeter so I could monitor my oxygen and heartbeat, and my oxygen level dipped to 90 but no lower.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2021
BTW: If you’re overnighting in Paso Robles, consider Sensorio, a walk-through display of ever-changing lights, most of it concocted by artist Bruce Munro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2025
The men in separate canoes were returning to shore after overnighting on the lake’s Deer Island.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
My friend’s mom notably wrangled our gang of overnighting 20-somethings with the imperturbable grace of a seasoned host.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 16, 2021
My vote goes to overnighting in bigger Prineville, with a morning detour in Mitchell for coffee and croissants.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 25, 2021
Sometimes he travelled closer to the city, overnighting in places like the Merri Creek reserve.
From Underground by Suelette Dreyfus
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.
