nighttime

noun

night·​time ˈnīt-ˌtīm 

often attributive

: the time from dusk to dawn

Synonyms of nighttime

• night

Examples of nighttime in a Sentence

The animal hunts in the nighttime.

before electricity, gas lamps were used for illumination during the nighttime

Recent Examples on the Web

Amid the ongoing militarized clampdown and a de facto nighttime curfew imposed in major cities, large-scale mass protests are no longer taking place. —Hamid Kashani, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026

Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said that nighttime lows this weekend could bottom out around 10 degrees Fahrenheit from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi. —Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026

The nighttime steppe is an army of archers aiming their electric black arrows directly at you. —Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026

Even regions with mild winters can see frost cracking if daytime warming and nighttime freezing are pronounced, so it’s not limited to the far north. —Brandi D. Addison, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nighttime

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• noontime

Kids Definition

nighttime

noun

night·​time ˈnīt-ˌtīm 

: the time from dusk to dawn

nighttime adjective

Legal Definition

nighttime

noun

night·​time

1

: the time from dusk to dawn

2

: a statutorily set period usually beginning shortly after dusk and ending shortly after dawn