variants
or less commonly pre-dawn
: existing or occurring before dawn
a predawn attack
the predawn hours
… the gigantic telescope started scanning the predawn sky.—
Howard Blum
Howard Blum
predawn
noun
or less commonly pre-dawn
plural predawns also pre-dawns
The most bone-chilling predawns create the sharpest sunrises.
—Christine Schultz
Christine Schultz
… stepping out into the quiet pre-dawn, closing the door.
—Bryan Burrough
Bryan Burrough
Examples of predawn in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the coming nights, Earth's satellite will disappear from the predawn sky ahead of its new moon phase on May 16, while Mars and Saturn subtly drift away from one another among the stars of the constellation Pisces.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 12 May 2026
Struggling Spirit Airlines, the discount pioneer whose low fares opened doors to travel for millions, is preparing to shut down as early as the predawn hours of Saturday after 11th hour talks for a U.S. government bailout failed, according to reports Friday.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
On April 19 in Shreveport, police say Shamar Elkins shot the mother of his children and another woman, in addition to his seven children and one of their cousins, in a predawn rampage that culminated in his death.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The predawn Molotov cocktail attack on Sam Altman’s San Francisco home has signaled a volatile new era of anti-tech extremism, sparking fears among federal authorities that this could ignite a wave of copycat strikes against high-profile executives.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predawn
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Anthony Wood, Space.com, 12 May 2026
Struggling Spirit Airlines, the discount pioneer whose low fares opened doors to travel for millions, is preparing to shut down as early as the predawn hours of Saturday after 11th hour talks for a U.S. government bailout failed, according to reports Friday.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
On April 19 in Shreveport, police say Shamar Elkins shot the mother of his children and another woman, in addition to his seven children and one of their cousins, in a predawn rampage that culminated in his death.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The predawn Molotov cocktail attack on Sam Altman’s San Francisco home has signaled a volatile new era of anti-tech extremism, sparking fears among federal authorities that this could ignite a wave of copycat strikes against high-profile executives.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predawn
Cite this Entry
“Predawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predawn. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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