twilight

noun, often attributive twi·light \ ˈtwī-ˌlīt \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of twilight

1 : the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night produced by diffusion of sunlight through the atmosphere and its dust; also : a time of twilight

2 a : an intermediate state that is not clearly defined

lived in the twilight of neutrality
—Newsweek

b : a period of decline

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Examples of twilight in a Sentence

The sun set and twilight fell.
stumbled around the twilight of the shuttered room, unable to see where she was going

Recent Examples of twilight from the Web

At the twilight of a man’s athletic career, as his beard turn gray and the world around him becomes unrecognizable, even the best players struggle to remain competitive.

— roy bragg, San Antonio Express-News, "SA Bombers: Old man strength at its best," 3 Apr. 2018
As a result, Strief played his best football in the twilight of his career and molded into of the better right tackles in the NFL.

— larry holder, NOLA.com, "NFL locker rooms need more players like Zach Strief," 12 Mar. 2018
Izzo has, however, been on the best recruiting run of his career during his likely twilight years.

— chris solari, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State mailbag: Twilight for Izzo? Will Miles Bridges or Jaren Jackson stay?," 23 Mar. 2018
Might be a great way to pad his resume in what’s likely (if not now, then soon) the twilight of his career.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Mailbag: Martina Navratilova Sparks Necessary Conversation About Gender Pay Equity," 21 Mar. 2018
The open-air loggia overlooked the dome of St. Peter’s, illuminated against a twilight sky.

— cullen murphy, Vanities, "Barbara Jatta, the First Woman to Head the Vatican Museums, Is Bringing Change to the Eternal City," 21 Mar. 2018
Both are nearly 70 years old and in the twilight of their careers.

— mike bianchi, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Gators basketball coach Mike White, like UCF brother Danny, will claim national title," 13 Mar. 2018
The trees, the meadow, the valley, the hills, the twilight, all of it.

— karl ove knausgaard, New York Times, "A Literary Road Trip Into the Heart of Russia," 14 Feb. 2018
The bigger wonder now, as the regular season hits twilight, is where does a big, seed-boosting win come from?

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: University of Cincinnati Bearcats are not bad, but not good enough," 18 Feb. 2018

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