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sundown

American  
[suhn-doun] / ˈsʌnˌdaʊn /

noun

  1. sunset, especially the time of sunset.

verb (used without object)

  1. Psychiatry. (especially of dementia patients) to experience confusion or hallucinations late in the day or at night, likely as a result of strange surroundings, drug effects, decreased sensory input, or reduction of oxygen supply to the brain.

sundown British  
/ ˈsʌnˌdaʊn /

noun

  1. another name for sunset

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sundown

First recorded in 1610–20; sun + down 1

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.

Eid al-Fitr is held on the first day of the 10th month of the calendar marking the end of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sundown.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Shortly after sundown on the second day of the war, electronic location transmissions from a China-flagged ship named Run Chen 2 stopped when it appeared to be approaching Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

“If the conflict abates by Monday sundown, coinciding with the start of the Jewish holiday Purim, the oil price spike could prove short-lived,” Kaneva wrote.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

His daily broadcasts last from sunrise to sundown, and they often eclipse a million cumulative viewers.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

It was the haystack in the last red glow of sundown.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

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.