variants
or less commonly pre-dawn
: existing or occurring before dawn
a predawn attack
the predawn hours
… the gigantic telescope started scanning the predawn sky.—
Howard Blum
Howard Blum
predawn
noun
or less commonly pre-dawn
plural predawns also pre-dawns
The most bone-chilling predawns create the sharpest sunrises.
—Christine Schultz
Christine Schultz
… stepping out into the quiet pre-dawn, closing the door.
—Bryan Burrough
Bryan Burrough
Examples of predawn in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And then, in the predawn hours of Feb. 14, Deputy Blackmon turned into a driveway, several miles from the Dorotik home, and noticed a body off the road.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2024
The predawn bridge collapsed, killed six construction workers, but as of early this morning, only two bodies have been recovered from the site.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Take a predawn hike among the rolling hills at Sky Meadows in Delaplane, try a family-friendly walk around the trails at Mason Neck in Lorton, or explore Wolf Trap with a Park Ranger.
—Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2023
They were decked in blue, huddling in groups and dancing along to energetic music to shake off the predawn chill.
—Claire O’Callahan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
In the predawn hours, about 200 people gathered to watch the spectacle, including some top DTE executives and father and son — D.J. and Christian Wagner, 34 and 6 — who made a memory out of the experience.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024
In the violence Thursday, people rushed about 30 trucks bringing a predawn delivery to the north.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024
The ink-dark sky and stillness of the predawn landscape contrast with the fluorescent glow and faint buzz of activity in the international terminal of Chiang Kai-shek International Airport.
—Longreads, 8 Feb. 2024
Feel the chill of the late nights and predawn mornings as organizers forming the Amazon Labor Union protest for better working conditions, pay and protections.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024
Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2024
The predawn bridge collapsed, killed six construction workers, but as of early this morning, only two bodies have been recovered from the site.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Take a predawn hike among the rolling hills at Sky Meadows in Delaplane, try a family-friendly walk around the trails at Mason Neck in Lorton, or explore Wolf Trap with a Park Ranger.
—Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2023
They were decked in blue, huddling in groups and dancing along to energetic music to shake off the predawn chill.
—Claire O’Callahan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
In the predawn hours, about 200 people gathered to watch the spectacle, including some top DTE executives and father and son — D.J. and Christian Wagner, 34 and 6 — who made a memory out of the experience.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024
In the violence Thursday, people rushed about 30 trucks bringing a predawn delivery to the north.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024
The ink-dark sky and stillness of the predawn landscape contrast with the fluorescent glow and faint buzz of activity in the international terminal of Chiang Kai-shek International Airport.
—Longreads, 8 Feb. 2024
Feel the chill of the late nights and predawn mornings as organizers forming the Amazon Labor Union protest for better working conditions, pay and protections.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'predawn.' 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 predawn
Cite this Entry
“Predawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predawn. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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