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
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
Don't miss the Lyrid meteor shower tonight, as activity peaks in the predawn hours of April 22.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 21 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
The best time to observe the Lyrids is in the predawn hours (after moonset and before dawn) when the shower's radiant is at its highest in the sky.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predawn
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Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
Don't miss the Lyrid meteor shower tonight, as activity peaks in the predawn hours of April 22.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 21 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
The best time to observe the Lyrids is in the predawn hours (after moonset and before dawn) when the shower's radiant is at its highest in the sky.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 13 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 29 Apr. 2026.
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