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
The Loyola University Chicago community gathered for a vigil at the Madonna della Strada Chapel on Thursday to honor the life of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old student who was shot and killed in the predawn hours less than a mile away from campus.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
Viral clips on social media show travelers lining up in predawn darkness out the door of terminals into parking lots and traffic ramps at popular spring break hotspots like Atlanta, Austin, Texas, and South Florida.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
The greatest potential for significant wind gusts from now through the predawn hours of Monday will be in the Ridges, as these locations will have an elevation high enough to reach into the low-level jet, which will be very strong out of the south to southeast through the overnight hours.
—Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Even before entering, the smell of baking dispels the predawn chill and darkness.
—Liam Denning, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predawn
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Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
Viral clips on social media show travelers lining up in predawn darkness out the door of terminals into parking lots and traffic ramps at popular spring break hotspots like Atlanta, Austin, Texas, and South Florida.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
The greatest potential for significant wind gusts from now through the predawn hours of Monday will be in the Ridges, as these locations will have an elevation high enough to reach into the low-level jet, which will be very strong out of the south to southeast through the overnight hours.
—Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Even before entering, the smell of baking dispels the predawn chill and darkness.
—Liam Denning, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 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 1 Apr. 2026.
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