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

"So there will be a teleprompter operator tonight, of course -- but it will not be the one, unfortunately, in that story," Leavitt said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026

“I think you could feel it already tonight, with our culture and with what we have represented. But also not only our Polynesian culture ... it’s also a shared culture around the world.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

To help you avoid the temptation to doomscroll about it tonight, might I instead suggest:

From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026

Asked whether there was a scenario in which she might not run, she said: "No, there isn't. I am here tonight to tell you I am candidate for the 2027 elections."

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

And tonight, when he wasn’t walking out of the deli with his sister.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows