sunrise

noun

sun·​rise ˈsən-ˌrīz 

1

: the apparent rising of the sun above the horizon

also : the accompanying atmospheric effects

2

: the time when the upper limb of the sun appears above the horizon as a result of the diurnal rotation of the earth

Synonyms

• day
• dawn
• morning
• morn
• dawning
• daybreak
• daylight

Examples of sunrise in a Sentence

We were up before sunrise.

We worked from sunrise to sunset.

We watched the sunrise from the beach.

the pink light of sunrise

Recent Examples on the Web

The woman, who goes by Madi online, shared the clip, to her TikTok account @tiktakmadi on Friday, showing a thin layer of white clouds in the sky, revealing the shimmering skyscrapers, reflecting the pink light of the sunrise above the iconic city. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

Some do their best thinking late at night, others prefer to log in before sunrise. —Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

The lineup turns even more enchanting in the first week of the month, as Mercury joins the party just below Venus for around an hour before sunrise. —Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2025

The state does not allow operation 30 minutes before sunset or 30 minutes after sunrise. —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sunrise

• tequila sunrise

Rhymes for sunrise

• advise
• applies
• apprise
• arise
• assize
• baptize
• belies
• bitwise
• capsize
• chastise
• chordwise
• clockwise

Kids Definition

sunrise

noun

sun·​rise ˈsən-ˌrīz 

1

: the apparent rising of the sun above the horizon

also : the accompanying atmospheric effects (as color)

2

: the time at which the sun rises

Geographical Definition

Sunrise

geographical name

Sun·​rise ˈsən-ˌrīz 

city in southeastern Florida west of Fort Lauderdale population 84,439