predawn

adjective

pre·​dawn ˌprē-ˈdȯn 

-ˈdän

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

predawn noun

or less commonly pre-dawn

plural predawns also pre-dawns

The most bone-chilling predawns create the sharpest sunrises.

—Christine Schultz

… stepping out into the quiet pre-dawn, closing the door.

—Bryan Burrough

Examples of predawn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With Jupiter returning to the predawn sky, a comet lingering and the possibility of a nova explosion, August offers almost every major kind of celestial event in a single month. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Until, that is, the predawn hours Sunday when Bader’s scooter collided with the back of a fire engine. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026

On July 17, a 43-year-old motorist died in a predawn solo car crash on Interstate 5 near Aliso Creek Rest Area near Camp Pendleton, the medical examiner reported. — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 July 2026

Joshua Deel, 39, is accused of killing his ex-wife Shawn Deel, 39, her daughter Abigale Sloan, 18, and her son Dekota Sloan, 16, in the predawn hours of July 21, the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for predawn

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon