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

Meanwhile, in the predawn morning sky, Venus literally vaults into prominence as the month progresses. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 1 Nov. 2026

When expanded to the entire country, the authors estimate over two billion predawn school trips. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026

In the predawn darkness in the early hours of the emergency, Alexander began racing toward Ingram in his black Charger to help. — Francesca D’annunzio, ProPublica, 25 Oct. 2026

Essayli highlighted the case of 72-year-old Omar Muñoz from Belize, who was arrested in a predawn raid Monday at his home in Commerce. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 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