twilight zone

noun

1
a
: an area just beyond ordinary legal and ethical limits
2
: a world of fantasy or illusion

Examples of twilight zone in a Sentence

He gets lost in the twilight zone of video games.
Recent Examples on the Web The campaign rhetoric ignores the practical questions these calls raise — starting with the weird legislative and military twilight zone that armed conflict with cartels would occupy. Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 Within the twilight zone, researchers were surprised to discover that more than half of the unique gene clusters found belonged to fungi. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024 Not that long ago, the ocean’s twilight zone was considered relatively devoid of life. WIRED, 9 Dec. 2023 The reasoning behind these aggregations is yet another twilight zone mystery whose answer may eventually be brought out of the deep and into the light. Jack Feerick, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2021 Cookiecutter sharks generally live the oceanic ‘twilight zone’ in depths to 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) and eat fish, squid, and crustaceans. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023 Below the twilight zone is the midnight zone, which is from 3,300 to 10,000 feet. Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Aug. 2023 So the top layer of the deep ocean beneath the sunlight layer, which ends at 600 feet, is called the twilight zone or the Mesopelagic. Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Aug. 2023 Scientists warn that the climate crisis could reduce twilight zone species by between 20% and 40% before the end of the century — and if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t curbed, recovery could take thousands of years. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 29 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'twilight zone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of twilight zone was in 1908

Dictionary Entries Near twilight zone

Cite this Entry

“Twilight zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twilight%20zone. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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