sunset

noun

sun·set | \ˈsən-ˌset

Definition of sunset

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : the apparent descent of the sun below the horizon also : the accompanying atmospheric effects

2 : the time when the upper limb of the sun disappears below the horizon as a result of the diurnal rotation of the earth

3 : a period of decline especially : old age

sunset

adjective

Definition of sunset (Entry 2 of 3)

: stipulating the periodic review of government agencies and programs in order to continue their existence sunset laws

sunset

verb

sunsetted; sunsetting

Definition of sunset (Entry 3 of 3)

1 transitive : to cause or allow (something, such as a law) to lapse, end, or be terminated And yet, even though he was part of the coalition, Obama offered an amendment … that would have sunsetted the merit-based evaluation system for immigrants after five years.— Jake Tapper In an effort to cut back on projects, Google decided to sunset Google Reader …— Tristan Louis

2 intransitive : to lapse or come to an end : expire laws that will sunset at the end of the year Since the credit will sunset at the end of 2016, its fate could rest in the hands of a new Congress and a new president—who might not necessarily see the value in reinstating the credit.— Eric S. Peterson

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Examples of sunset in a Sentence

Noun

We worked from sunrise to sunset. the golden light of sunset

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Samsung says the camera can recognize 20 different types of scenes, including food, portraits, pets, landscapes, beaches, sunrises and sunsets, and more. — Dan Seifert, The Verge, "Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review: more, more, more," 17 Aug. 2018 Headliners include Tiesto at sunset, Bassnectar, Dillon Francis, Alison Wonderland and more. — Kat Bein, Billboard, "EDC Orlando 2018 Lineup: Tiesto, Bassnectar, Dillon Francis & More," 10 July 2018 Temperatures after sunset, when fireworks begin, should be in the mid-80s but feel closer to 90 given the high humidity. — Greg Porter, Washington Post, "PM Update: Muggy but dry for tonight’s fireworks as most storms should stay well west," 4 July 2018 An amateur photographer, Chris enjoyed taking photos of landscapes, sunsets, and the water along the Farmington River. — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "Christopher John House," 3 July 2018 That prediction by Schweiker and Street never panned out: As the 17-year school governance experiment known as the SRC sunsets on Saturday, Philadelphia is not the nation’s premier big-city district by any measure. — Philly.com, "For Philly's new school board: Lessons from the SRC's 17 years," 1 July 2018 Nature supplied most subjects — butterflies, sunsets, ocean vistas — but homey images sometimes appeared. — Peter Rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cindy Marten's fortune: leading San Diego Unified forward while suffering personal setbacks," 24 June 2018 Where better to watch a sunrise (on the eastern part of the island) or sunset (on the west) than at the beach? — Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, "Photo tour: Kauai, Hawaii's magical Garden Island," 14 June 2018 The latest sunsets, on the other hand, come after the solstice, at 8:37 p.m. around June 27-28. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore's earliest sunrise of the year comes Thursday," 13 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Another House GOP priority — to sunset all of the workforce development programs to start anew — also failed to make it to a floor vote. — Kaitlin L Lange, Indianapolis Star, "House bill consolidating townships dies without a vote, despite support from House leaders," 5 Feb. 2018 If passed, the bill would sunset ICE within one year, then create a bipartisan group to work out a replacement. — Jeff Stein And David Weigel, chicagotribune.com, "Democrats ready 'Abolish ICE' legislation that would shutter agency, shift immigration law enforcement," 10 July 2018 But there are other significant rifts: on Canadian and Mexican access to U.S. government projects, on whether the deal will sunset, and the process for resolving disputes. — Tory Newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Trump's NAFTA pledge in danger as key deadline passes," 17 May 2018 The pilot program is scheduled to sunset on July 12. — Martin E. Comas, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Seminole makes backyard chicken program permanent," 12 June 2018 If approved, the increase would take effect April 1 and would sunset after seven years. — Phil Diehl, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Oceanside puts sales tax hike on November ballot," 7 June 2018 Knowing that Sidi would arrive during the month of Ramadan, a period of fasting for Muslims from sunrise to sunset each day, the President ordered that the State Dinner be rescheduled to take place precisely at sunset. — Fez Zafar, Teen Vogue, "Why I Started the American Iftar Dinner," 5 June 2018 Those partnerships were allowed to begin to sunset beginning in April, following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, while a spokesperson for Apple, for one, said the company no longer had access to such data as of last September. — Dan Rys, Billboard, "Facebook Privacy Issues Arise Again Following New Data-Sharing Report," 4 June 2018 There is no fee to enter the bike park, which will be open daily for the season from 10 a.m. to sunset. — Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, "Mountain bike trails re-open at The Parklands for the summer," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sunset.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

16 Nov 2018

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Time Traveler for sunset

The first known use of sunset was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for sunset

sunset

noun

English Language Learners Definition of sunset

: the time when the sun goes below the horizon in the evening

: the colors that are in the sky when the sun slowly goes below the horizon

See the full definition for sunset in the English Language Learners Dictionary

sunset

noun

sun·set | \ˈsən-ˌset

Kids Definition of sunset

1 : the apparent passing of the sun below the horizon

2 : the light and color of the passing of the sun below the horizon

3 : the time at which the sun sets

sunset

adjective

sun·set

Legal Definition of sunset

: having or being a provision stipulating the termination or repeal of something (as a law, grant, or insurance coverage) on a specified date sunset laws requiring periodic review of programs to justify their continuance