dawn

1 of 2

verb

ˈdȯn How to pronounce dawn (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
But death, Spike comes to discover, has a life of its own, and his only hope of saving his mother will hinge on the dawning recognition that out of sight doesn’t have to be the same thing as out of mind. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 June 2025 Although heavy rains and strong winds attempted to dampen the vibes on Saturday, May 31, thousands of attendees braved the elements, dawning ponchos and other protective gear to ensure the fun continued. Essence, 3 June 2025
Noun
Since the dawn of the Space Age, almost 22,000 satellites have reached orbit, and a little more than half are still functioning. Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 30 June 2025 Since the dawn of streaming, independent artists and labels have essentially been forced to participate alongside various streaming entities in order to survive, entities that are often funded by sources that do not align with our values. Jem Aswad, Variety, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for dawn

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dawn was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Dawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawn. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

dawn

1 of 2 verb
ˈdȯn How to pronounce dawn (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on dawn

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