tonight

American  

[tuh-nahyt] / təˈnaɪt /

noun

1. this present or coming night; the night of this present day.

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adverb

1. on this present night; on the night of this present day.

2. Obsolete. during last night.

tonight British  

/ təˈnaɪt /

noun

1. the night or evening of this present day

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adverb

1. in or during the night or evening of this day

2. archaic last night

Etymology

Origin of tonight

before 1000; Middle English to night, Old English tō niht. See to, night

Explanation

Tonight is the evening that happens on the current day—not last night, not tomorrow night, but tonight. If your favorite TV show is on tonight, you'd better hurry up and finish your homework so you can tune in. If your friend suggests seeing a movie tonight, she means the upcoming night, the one that immediately follows today. Prior to the 18th century, tonight was two separate words, to night, and then until the 20th century, it was hyphenated: to-night.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tonight

"They battered Celtic tonight, physically and on the football side. It could have been more."

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Friday that "tonight, Canada declined to finalize the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier this week."

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

From the offense, Roberts said, “I saw that urgency tonight which we’ve got to build on from here on out.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

“He let us pick out some matching hats. Mr. Martin’s wearing his bowler tonight, and if you see someone else in the bowler they’re probably with our team.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

“I don’t have gymnastics tonight, and I did all my homework in study center, so I am ready to start dialing!”

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix