dawned; dawning; dawns
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.
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
Richard Godwin, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Not coincidentally Miami won its last playoff game — its last to this day — in the 2000 season just as New England’s rise was dawning.
—Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
David G. Allan Feb 15, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
In 2021, on the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, an immigration-enforcement van arrived in the Pollokshields district of Glasgow to carry out one of the United Kingdom Home Office’s dawn raids.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dawn
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Verb
But the slightly hectic pace created a palpable feeling of dawning revelation.
—Richard Godwin, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Not coincidentally Miami won its last playoff game — its last to this day — in the 2000 season just as New England’s rise was dawning.
—Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
And since the dawn of skiing-as-pastime, every devotee has known that the appeal is part downhill bliss, part après activity.
—David G. Allan Feb 15, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
In 2021, on the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, an immigration-enforcement van arrived in the Pollokshields district of Glasgow to carry out one of the United Kingdom Home Office’s dawn raids.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dawn
Cite this Entry
“Dawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawn. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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 noun1
: the first appearance of light in the morning
2
: a first appearance : beginning
the dawn of a new age
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