predawn

[ pree-dawn, pree- ]

/ priˈdɔn, ˈpri- /

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noun

the period immediately preceding dawn.

adjective

noting the time immediately prior to dawn.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of predawn

First recorded in 1945–50; pre- + dawn

How to use predawn in a sentence

He himself then followed, the camera attached to his helmet recording the descent through the pre-dawn darkness.
Hero or Criminal? James Brady, the WTC Ironworker Who Jumped Off the Building|Michael Daly|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The previous day, in the pre-dawn dark, another group of men had occupied the regional parliament building.
Putin’s Shadow Shock Troops Roil Ukraine|Christopher Dickey|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The crowds in Taksim Square had free rein in the pre-dawn hours on Sunday.
As Police Cede Taksim Square, Istanbul Remains On Edge|Mike Giglio|June 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On Wednesday, wire services reported that 18 civilians were killed in a pre-dawn airstrike in eastern Afghanistan.
Daniel Klaidman on the Mind of a Drone Strike Operator|Daniel Klaidman|June 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST

His louche take on style calls to mind the aftermath of a night spent clubbing or a pre-dawn, hung-over, walk of shame.
Amy Winehouse’s Broken Beauty|Robin Givhan|July 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The dryness of pre-dawn gave partial light and somewhere a bird was twittering.
Plague Ship|Andre Norton
In the pre-dawn darkness he could see little and that only as vague outlines rather than definite shapes.
The Fighting Edge|William MacLeod Raine
But the cold cramped him and he was glad to see the graying sky of pre-dawn.
The Defiant Agents|Andre Alice Norton
They woke him in the pre-dawn twilight and another group of Agvars took over.
Uniform of a Man|Dave Dryfoos
The beast probably would lay up shortly after its pre-dawn feeding and he'd overhaul it in an hour or two.
The World That Couldn't Be|Clifford Donald Simak