sunset

American  

[suhn-set] / ˈsʌnˌsɛt /

noun

1. the setting or descent of the sun below the horizon in the evening.

2. the atmospheric and scenic phenomena accompanying this.

3. the time when the sun sets.

4. the close or final stage of any period.

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adjective

1. (of an industry, technology, etc.) old; declining.

   sunset industries.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of a sunset law.

   to add sunset restrictions to a bill.

sunset British  

/ ˈsʌnˌsɛt /

noun

1. the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon

2. the atmospheric phenomena accompanying this disappearance

3. Also called: sundown.  the time at which the sun sets at a particular locality

4. the final stage or closing period, as of a person's life

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Etymology

Origin of sunset

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at sun, set

Example Sentences

Soon, we were back on the vaporetto for a sunset ride to Al Covo, the culinary high-water mark of our family trip to Venice a decade earlier—and our parents’ honeymoon 25 years before that.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

Fecundity and creativity of several sorts defined his sunset years.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

He would sit by the lake watching the sunset, and one stormy evening - while eating takeaway Pad Thai - decided it would make a "funny, sad" self-portrait.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Break Room 86 doesn’t open until 9 p.m., so check out Openaire for a sunset dinner.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

I took the rag from him and rinsed it out again; the water was sunset pink.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

• dusk
• nightfall
• sundown
• twilight