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
Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
At the dawn of complex life, evolution created a container for DNA, its most treasured item.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026
Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
Without your bravery and persistence, this new day would not have dawned.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dawn
Noun
Regardless of their fate in the Mountain West Tournament, the Rams’ hot finish (eight wins in the final nine games) creates momentum at the close of coach Ali Farokhmanesh’s first season and the dawn of their new conference affiliation.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
At the dawn of complex life, evolution created a container for DNA, its most treasured item.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
When Sunday dawned, the fog lifted.
—Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
Without your bravery and persistence, this new day would not have dawned.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawn
Noun
-
During Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, prayer and reflection, Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset.—
Monti Carlo,
AJC.com,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The incident occurred halfway through the holy month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, in which Muslims all over the world fast from sunrise to sunset.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These are just the beginning of Nordstrom’s covetable spring fashion deals.—
Jordan Julian,
InStyle,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Deerfield defender Addy Margulis figured the beginning of her high school soccer career would be uneventful, at least for her.—
Bobby Narang,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sign up here to receive an email right as the chat is about to start.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
-
By mid-April a lot of good could start to roll in.—
Magi Helena,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Mar. 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
-
Legal Aid, which has participated in the program since its inception in 2021, will have to stop accepting new clients if the contract does not pass on Tuesday.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Our Top Picks Nordic Knots’s elegant Scandinavian style (and penchant for arresting patterns) have made their rugs a hot commodity among design lovers like the AD team since their inception in 2016.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
With two and a half weeks remaining before the Twins begin their season in Baltimore, there are still plenty of roster questions to be sorted out, particularly in the outfield.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The trade will not become official until the new league year begins on Wednesday.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
FoodRecipesNewsHow ToDiningNewsletterInstagram Starting in 5 days Trouble in the kitchen?—
Becky Krystal,
Washington Post,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Loomer in recent days has ramped up her calls for all Muslims to be deported from America and attacked New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for his Islamic faith.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
An example of this work from the Team Mutographs effort is a paper in the journal Nature on April 23 that looked for mutational signatures in early-onset colorectal cancer, which is increasing in many countries.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Ever rising taxes are a primary concern for voters, as the budget has ballooned since the onset of COVID-19.—
Juan Rangel,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawn. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
