see the light of day

Idioms

Be published, brought out, or born. For example, I wonder if her book will ever see the light of day, or The family reunion was a disaster, and I wish the idea for it had never seen the light of day, or When we visited Pittsburgh, we saw where Mom had first seen the light of day. [Early 1700s]

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.

As and when the plan does see the light of day, the debate will then widen.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

WSJLI: With everything happening right now on “The Bachelorette,” we now have this group of contestants whose TV appearances may never see the light of day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

There are still-secret depositions and additional investigative interviews that should see the light of day.

From Slate • Dec. 1, 2025

Equihua is reimagining the frumpy image of the adult pajama, afterthought cotton shirts and old worn-in lover’s shorts that would never see the light of day.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025

Many would never even see the light of day.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

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