sunrise

noun

sun·​rise ˈsən-ˌrīz 

1

: the apparent rising of the sun above the horizon

also : the accompanying atmospheric effects

2

: the time when the upper limb of the sun appears above the horizon as a result of the diurnal rotation of the earth

Synonyms of sunrise

• day
• dawn
• morning
• morn
• dawning
• daybreak
• daylight

Examples of sunrise in a Sentence

We were up before sunrise.

We worked from sunrise to sunset.

We watched the sunrise from the beach.

the pink light of sunrise

Recent Examples on the Web

The park will be open Wednesday through Sunday from sunrise to sunset. —Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026

By sunrise most of the fire was out, but small pockets of fire could still be found in the adjoining buildings, Woods said. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026

Other musical highlights will include the Aquachobee Dub Reggae Takeover (featuring Mykal Rose, Subatomic Sound System and more), Incendia (focused on underground and bass music) and the sundown-to-sunrise Jungle 51 Stage with a slew of notable DJs. —Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2026

The two have until sunrise to convince Brenda to make a radical change for the sake of saving the world. —Charles Lewis Iii, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sunrise

• tequila sunrise

Rhymes for sunrise

• advise
• applies
• apprise
• arise
• assize
• baptize
• belies
• bitwise
• capsize
• chastise
• chordwise
• clockwise

Kids Definition

sunrise

noun

sun·​rise ˈsən-ˌrīz 

1

: the apparent rising of the sun above the horizon

also : the accompanying atmospheric effects (as color)

2

: the time at which the sun rises

Geographical Definition

Sunrise

geographical name

Sun·​rise ˈsən-ˌrīz 

city in southeastern Florida west of Fort Lauderdale population 84,439