dusked; dusking; dusks
: to become dark
the dusking room
: to make dark or gloomy
a gray light dusked the room—
William Sansom
William Sansom… his … formality dusked by the saturnine mood of ill health.—Herman Melville
Herman Melville1
: the darker part of twilight especially at night
The park closes at dusk.
2
: darkness or semidarkness caused by the shutting out of light
Examples of dusk in a Sentence
Adjective
under a dusk sky, the campers wearily bedded down for the night
Verb
the grief-stricken woman continued to sit in the dusking room until she was completely enveloped in darkness
Noun
The park closes at dusk.
we stopped playing at dusk, since it was getting too dark to see the ball
Recent Examples on the Web
Outside Online, 1 Aug. 2022
Mylar space blankets draped across their shoulders glistened a surreal golden hue as the vessel’s blinding strobe lights illuminated the post-dusk spectacle.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2021
Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Bugling for mates at dawn and dusk.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dusk
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.
Adjective
When the summer heat creeps to unbearable temperatures, pre-dawn and post-dusk become the most appealing times to run.
—Outside Online, 1 Aug. 2022
Mylar space blankets draped across their shoulders glistened a surreal golden hue as the vessel’s blinding strobe lights illuminated the post-dusk spectacle.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2021
Verb
Its hours are from dawn to dusk every day of the year.
—Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
Despite the ban, enthusiasts have continued to jump in secret, often at dawn or dusk to avoid detection.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Bugling for mates at dawn and dusk.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dusk
Cite this Entry
“Dusk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dusk. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share