dawn

1 of 2

verb

ˈdȯn 

ˈdän

dawned; dawning; dawns

intransitive verb

1

: to begin to grow light as the sun rises

waited for the day to dawn

2

: to begin to appear or develop

a new era is dawning

3

: to begin to be perceived or understood

the truth finally dawned on us

dawn

2 of 2

noun

1

: the first appearance of light in the morning followed by sunrise

danced till dawn

at the crack of dawn

Almost before the first faint sign of dawn appeared she arose again …

—Thomas Hardy

2

: beginning

the dawn of the space age

Synonyms

Verb

• actualize
• appear
• arise
• begin
• break
• commence
• engender
• form
• materialize
• originate
• set in
• spring
• start

Noun

• aurora
• cockcrow
• dawning
• day
• daybreak
• daylight
• light
• morn
• morning
• sun
• sunrise
• sunup

Examples of dawn in a Sentence

Verb

They waited for the day to dawn.

A new age is dawning.

Noun

as dawn breaks over the city

Winter brings late dawns and early sunsets.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And while it was partially revived as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (now run by Belmond), a new age is dawning for the Orient Express. —Laura Itzkowitz, AFAR Media, 10 Apr. 2025

Already, the markets have stumbled due to uncertainty, but Thursday dawned with more unknowns than ever. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2025

Noun

Tips for watching the Lyrid meteors The ideal time to head outside for the show, according to NASA, is from 10:30 p.m. local time on April 21 until dawn the following morning. —Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025

On Saturday in Lexington, a reenactment staged on the Lexington Battle Green will kick off at 5 a.m., followed by a 5-mile road race at 8 a.m., the Patriot’s Day Parade at 2 p.m. and more events throughout the day At 6 a.m., a dawn salute at Buttrick Hillside will kick off events in Concord. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, probably back-formation from dawning daybreak, alteration of dawing, from Old English dagung, from dagian — see daw entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dawn

• at the crack of dawn
• dawn chorus
• dawn horse
• dawn on
• dawn redwood
• from dawn to/until dusk
• pre-dawn

Rhymes for dawn

• aune
• bon
• bonne
• brawn
• chon
• con
• conn
• crohn
• drawn
• fawn
• gone
• hon

Kids Definition

dawn

1 of 2 verb

ˈdȯn 

ˈdän

1

: to begin to grow light as the sun rises

waited for the day to dawn

2

: to begin to appear or develop

a smile dawned on her face

3

: to begin to be understood

the solution dawned on him

dawn

2 of 2 noun

1

: the first appearance of light in the morning

2

: a first appearance : beginning

the dawn of a new age