1
as in sunrise
the first appearance of light in the morning or the time of its appearance
we stayed up talking until dawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in beginning
the point at which something begins
the dawn of civilization
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to start
to come into existence
a smile dawned on his face as he got the joke
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dawn
CBS News, 11 May 2026
Earlier in the week, however, from Tuesday, May 12 to Wednesday, May 13, an even thinner crescent moon will also appear before dawn in the eastern sky.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
As the day of the eclipse dawned, the weather over Alor Setar deteriorated, forcing Gnanamoorthy to abandon his original plan in favor of a new destination on the eastern shoreline of the peninsula, close to the city of Kota Bharu, 310 miles (500 km) to the north.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dawn
Noun
Hengaw reported that Shakourzadeh, who was arrested in February 2025, was executed at dawn in the Ghezel Hesar prison outside Tehran after being suddenly transferred from the capital's Evin prison earlier this month.
—CBS News, 11 May 2026
Earlier in the week, however, from Tuesday, May 12 to Wednesday, May 13, an even thinner crescent moon will also appear before dawn in the eastern sky.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
Verb
The deal’s status became even more fragile as Thursday dawned and Iran said Israeli strikes in Lebanon overnight violated the agreement.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
As the day of the eclipse dawned, the weather over Alor Setar deteriorated, forcing Gnanamoorthy to abandon his original plan in favor of a new destination on the eastern shoreline of the peninsula, close to the city of Kota Bharu, 310 miles (500 km) to the north.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawn
Noun
-
Soukana’s rooftop bar and lounge is a great place to flop down and take in the sunrise or sunset.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
Look low toward the eastern horizon before sunrise to spot the crescent moon and Saturn together.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Clark spent six weeks at the beginning of this school year setting up and practicing classroom routines and procedures with her students.—
Stacker,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
Humble beginnings Menjívar arrived undocumented in the United States at age 18, fleeing a bloody civil war in El Salvador, stowed away in a car to avoid detection at the border.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Carolyn Hax started her Washington Post advice column in 1997, after five years on the Style desk and none as a therapist.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
15 May 2026
-
After an inaugural season on the road, next year could see the team finally start play in a more permanent home.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
The quiet moments, the grief, the slow dawning of realization that her husband had written this piece as a way of dealing with his grief and her anger.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Ever enterprising, Toha does eventually make her way back to the party, but there, the ultimate dawning of her place outside of Nelly’s circle is heartbreaking.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Eddie Vedder has curated Ohana since its inception back in 2016.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
12 May 2026
-
In a letter reviewed by USA TODAY, firearms retailers targeted in the program were told that since its inception in 2000, the agency’s tracing center had successfully traced 269,000 firearms from the records.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Climbers began gathering in April at the base camp, which is at an altitude of 17,340 feet.—
Pasang Rinzee Sherpa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
Rogers was released from federal prison in March 2024 and began serving his three-year term of supervised release.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Reece James ticks the most boxes, but would need to be managed through a tournament that could involve eight matches in 33 days.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
The team had been on a 10-day road trip.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
In Asia, a global dip in radiance in early 2020 aligned almost precisely with the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns.—
Bree Shirvell,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
-
The House of Representatives eliminated the pandemic-era proxy voting rules, implemented under Pelosi at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, when the GOP gained control of the lower chamber of Congress in January 2023.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawn. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
