dusked; dusking; dusks
: to become dark
the dusking room
: to make dark or gloomy
a gray light dusked the room—
William Sansom
William Sansom… his … formality dusked by the saturnine mood of ill health.—Herman Melville
Herman Melville1
: the darker part of twilight especially at night
The park closes at dusk.
2
: darkness or semidarkness caused by the shutting out of light
Synonyms
Examples of dusk in a Sentence
Adjective
under a dusk sky, the campers wearily bedded down for the night
Verb
the grief-stricken woman continued to sit in the dusking room until she was completely enveloped in darkness
Noun
The park closes at dusk.
we stopped playing at dusk, since it was getting too dark to see the ball
Recent Examples on the WebOutside Online, 1 Aug. 2022
Mylar space blankets draped across their shoulders glistened a surreal golden hue as the vessel’s blinding strobe lights illuminated the post-dusk spectacle.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2021
Forgive me for skipping dinner, but my pre-dusk meals were simply not going to be outshone.
—Andi Berlin, The Arizona Republic, 22 Aug. 2021
The park is open 8 a.m. to dusk year-round, while the information and gift center is open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. now through Thanksgiving and vary with the season.
—oregonlive, 14 Mar. 2020
Waiting to hear After dusk Wednesday, buses began to arrive at the plant to return some of the immigrants after processing.
—Author: Jenny Jarvie, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2019
On July 4, Elitch Gardens will offer a dusk fireworks display visible from the surrounding areas, and The Denver Outlaws game at Mile High Stadium (against the Boston Cannons) on July 4 will also be followed by fireworks.
—John Wenzel, The Know, 24 June 2019
Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 18 Apr. 2024
Within the path of totality, aka the locations where the total eclipse will be visible on Earth, daytime will briefly look like early dawn or dusk, with light levels getting nearly as dark as night.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 8 Apr. 2024
For a real locals-only deep cut closer to downtown and the Seaport, set your sights on South Boston (affectionately, Southie), where a waterfront run around the Pleasure Bay and over to grassy Castle Island—especially at dawn or dusk—is a surprisingly serene experience.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Apr. 2024
The light glowing behind it, implying dawn or dusk, is impossible since the real sign faces south, not east or west, where it could be backed by the rising or setting sun.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Crappie feed in low light, so the best times to fish are at dawn and dusk.
—Don Wirth, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
Originally founded in 1909, the gardens are open seasonally every morning until dusk and there is no additional fee to visit.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2024
In a press conference, Chester Fire Commissioner John-Paul Shirley said officials will continue to search until dusk Sunday for the girl who slipped on mud and fell into Chester Creek on Saturday evening.
—Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
As dusk fell over the scene of death, several thousand rescue workers steadily dug the wreckage from the basements and trucked it away.
—Jerome Hansen, Jack Schermerhorn, Ralph Nelson and Ken McCormick, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
Adjective
When the summer heat creeps to unbearable temperatures, pre-dawn and post-dusk become the most appealing times to run.
—Outside Online, 1 Aug. 2022
Mylar space blankets draped across their shoulders glistened a surreal golden hue as the vessel’s blinding strobe lights illuminated the post-dusk spectacle.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2021
Forgive me for skipping dinner, but my pre-dusk meals were simply not going to be outshone.
—Andi Berlin, The Arizona Republic, 22 Aug. 2021
The park is open 8 a.m. to dusk year-round, while the information and gift center is open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. now through Thanksgiving and vary with the season.
—oregonlive, 14 Mar. 2020
Waiting to hear After dusk Wednesday, buses began to arrive at the plant to return some of the immigrants after processing.
—Author: Jenny Jarvie, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2019
On July 4, Elitch Gardens will offer a dusk fireworks display visible from the surrounding areas, and The Denver Outlaws game at Mile High Stadium (against the Boston Cannons) on July 4 will also be followed by fireworks.
—John Wenzel, The Know, 24 June 2019
Noun
Pike are most apt to hit a topwater lure during the low-light periods around dawn and dusk.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 18 Apr. 2024
Within the path of totality, aka the locations where the total eclipse will be visible on Earth, daytime will briefly look like early dawn or dusk, with light levels getting nearly as dark as night.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 8 Apr. 2024
For a real locals-only deep cut closer to downtown and the Seaport, set your sights on South Boston (affectionately, Southie), where a waterfront run around the Pleasure Bay and over to grassy Castle Island—especially at dawn or dusk—is a surprisingly serene experience.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Apr. 2024
The light glowing behind it, implying dawn or dusk, is impossible since the real sign faces south, not east or west, where it could be backed by the rising or setting sun.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Crappie feed in low light, so the best times to fish are at dawn and dusk.
—Don Wirth, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
Originally founded in 1909, the gardens are open seasonally every morning until dusk and there is no additional fee to visit.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2024
In a press conference, Chester Fire Commissioner John-Paul Shirley said officials will continue to search until dusk Sunday for the girl who slipped on mud and fell into Chester Creek on Saturday evening.
—Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
As dusk fell over the scene of death, several thousand rescue workers steadily dug the wreckage from the basements and trucked it away.
—Jerome Hansen, Jack Schermerhorn, Ralph Nelson and Ken McCormick, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dusk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dusk
Cite this Entry
“Dusk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dusk. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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