nighttime

noun

night·​time ˈnīt-ˌtīm How to pronounce nighttime (audio)
often attributive
: the time from dusk to dawn

Examples of nighttime in a Sentence

The animal hunts in the nighttime. before electricity, gas lamps were used for illumination during the nighttime
Recent Examples on the Web Mesa ranked tenth, with 119 nighttime fatal accidents out of 215 total, yielding a rate of 55.35%. The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024 Benefits to morning showers include feeling more alert in the morning, getting clean after a workout, and washing off any nighttime sweat or skin cell buildup. Korin Miller, Health, 16 Mar. 2024 At the Muslim Community Association mosque in Santa Clara, the special Ramadan nighttime prayers draw major crowds — up to 5,000 people, Nadeem said. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024 Designed for light sleepers and people who are trying to sleep in brighter-than-usual conditions like planes, the mask blocks out light to mimic the nighttime. Lauren Fischer, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2024 The video then concluded with a couple more shots of the Christ the Redeemer statue at nighttime. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 The same suggestions of providing a consistent routine, sticking to your plan, remaining calm, and not drawing out your departure (in this case, from their room) also hold true for successful nighttime goodbyes. Karen Horsch, Parents, 1 Mar. 2024 Additionally, vehicles now need an acceptable or good rating in a revised version of the pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation that includes nighttime. Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 27 Feb. 2024 Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency and nighttime curfew late Sunday in an effort to regain control of the streets after an explosion of violence over the weekend saw armed gang members storm the country’s two biggest prisons. Evens Sanon and Pierre-Richard Luxama, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nighttime.' 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

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nighttime was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near nighttime

Cite this Entry

“Nighttime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nighttime. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nighttime

noun
night·​time ˈnīt-ˌtīm How to pronounce nighttime (audio)
: the time from dusk to dawn
nighttime adjective

Legal Definition

nighttime

noun
night·​time
1
: the time from dusk to dawn
2
: a statutorily set period usually beginning shortly after dusk and ending shortly after dawn

More from Merriam-Webster on nighttime

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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