noon

American  

[noon] / nun /

noun

1. midday.

2. twelve o'clock in the daytime.

3. the highest, brightest, or finest point or part.

   the noon of one's career.

4. Archaic. midnight.

   the noon of night.

---

noon British  

/ nuːn /

noun

1. 1. the middle of the day; 12 o'clock in the daytime or the time or point at which the sun crosses the local meridian

   2. ( as modifier )

      the noon sun

2. poetic the highest, brightest, or most important part; culmination

---

Etymology

Origin of noon

before 900; Middle English none, Old English nōn < Latin nōna ninth hour. See none ²

Explanation

Noon is twelve o'clock in the middle of the day. Many people sit down to eat lunch right at noon. You can also call noon midday, and its opposite is midnight — also twelve o'clock, but falling in the middle of the night. The word noon comes from a Latin root, nona hora, or "ninth hour." In medieval times, noon fell at three PM, nine hours after a monk's traditional rising hour of six o'clock in the morning. Over time, as noon came to be synonymous in English with midday, its timing changed to twelve PM.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

noon

The consumer-price index for September comes out midweek and an important survey for the Treasury market is due at noon Eastern time on Friday.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Malaysia’s statistics department will release preliminary third-quarter GDP data at noon on Friday, offering a broader picture of how demand for electronics is supporting the region’s growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Demonstrators are due to set off from several locations around the city at noon before converging on Plaza de Cibeles in central Madrid.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

At about noon on Monday, counter-terror police released more information on the five men, external who had been arrested - they were all from London and aged between 23-25.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

At noon Mom has to go to Big Round Pumpkin.

From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins