evening star

noun

1
: a bright planet (such as Venus) seen especially in the western sky at or after sunset
2
: a planet that rises before midnight

Examples of evening star in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Venus will become an evening star once again in June. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2024 When, on the far side of its orbit and in the midst of its prograde cycle, Mercury passes behind the sun, the planet soon appears as an evening star—a lovely if somewhat dim point of light in the western twilight sky after sunset. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2023 Some people call Venus the morning star or evening star, depending on the timing of its appearance. Dean Regas, The Enquirer, 24 May 2023 Jupiter and the evening star push toward the horizon, racing the crescent moon in a perfect isosceles triangle. Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2017 From July 22 to September 3, the planet of love slips into her retrograde cycle, changing from an evening star (visible at dusk) to a morning star (visible near dawn). ELLE, 1 Dec. 2022 In the west just after sunset, hanging low on the horizon just beneath the waxing moon, Venus, the evening star, shines like a searchlight at a Hollywood premier. John D'anna, azcentral, 5 May 2020 Vespertilian refers to bats, which come out at dusk, when the evening star (Vesperus) appears and when monks say their evening prayers (vespers). Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2020 Confidence: Medium-High Tonight: After some evening stars, clouds tend to increase with time through the night. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'evening star.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of evening star was in 1535

Dictionary Entries Near evening star

Cite this Entry

“Evening star.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evening%20star. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

evening star

noun
: a bright planet (as Venus) seen especially in the western sky at or after sunset
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!