nighttime

American

[nahyt-tahym] / ˈnaɪtˌtaɪm /

noun

the time between evening and morning.

adjective

occurring, done, presented, etc., during the night, especially the hours before midnight.

Etymology

Origin of nighttime

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at night, time

Vocabulary lists containing nighttime

Unit 6, Week 5

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

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.

The result sees hordes of onlookers regularly flock to certain parts of the UK coast each year to witness it first-hand during the nighttime hours.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

Average daytime and nighttime temperatures reached 29.2C, beating the previous high reached on June 30, 2025, according to provisional data released by the Meteo France weather agency.

From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026

It is also one of the heaviest parrots and is known for its unusual nighttime lifestyle.

From Science Daily • Jun. 23, 2026

Jackson’s lottery stoning takes place on a sunny June day, in contrast to the apocalyptic storm’s nighttime arrival on “Widow’s Bay,” forcing everyone into an underground shelter.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2026

My phone vibrates noisily next to me and I look over, but it’s just a notification from her app, telling me it’s time to take my nighttime meds and set up my G-tube feeding.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

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