noon

noun

ˈnün 

1

: midday

specifically : 12 o'clock at midday

2

archaic : midnight

—used chiefly in the phrase noon of night

3

: the highest point

Synonyms

• midday

Examples of noon in a Sentence

The party will take place from noon to 4 p.m.

He showed up at precisely 12 noon.

Recent Examples on the Web

The winner will be determined through online voting that began in March and ends at noon Wednesday, July 9. Voters can cast a ballot once a day for best tux and best dress categories using their email addresses, with five finalists in each category. —Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2025

And with the Marner question answered, the Maple Leafs can focus their priorities elsewhere with free agency beginning at noon on July 1. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2025

The House is expected to hold a Rules Committee hearing Tuesday at noon to discuss the bill, if the Senate can pass the legislation Monday night or early Tuesday morning. —Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 30 June 2025

Sunday’s game kicks off at noon and will be shown on TNT, DAZN.com and Univision. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 29 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English nōn ninth hour from sunrise, from Latin nona, from feminine of nonus ninth; akin to Latin novem nine — more at nine

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing noon

• high noon
• morning, noon, and night
• pre-noon

Rhymes for noon

• boon
• brune
• coon
• croon
• dune
• goon
• hewn
• hoon
• june
• loon
• moon
• poon

Kids Definition

noon

noun

ˈnün 

: the middle of the day : 12 o'clock in the daytime

noon adjective

Etymology

Old English nōn "ninth hour from sunrise," derived from Latin nona, a feminine form of nonus "ninth," from novem "nine"

Word Origin

Noon has not always meant "12 o'clock in the daytime." In the ancient Roman way of keeping track of time, the hours of the day were counted from sunrise to sunset. The ninth hour of their day (about 3 p.m. nowadays) was called nona, Latin for "ninth." In the early period of English, the word was borrowed as nōn, also referring to the ninth hour after sunrise. By the 14th century, however, the word came to be used for midday, 12 o'clock, as we use it today.