dawn 1 of 2

noun

Definition of dawnnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in beginning
the point at which something begins the dawn of civilization

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dawn

2 of 2

verb

ˈdȯn How to pronounce dawn (audio)
as in to start
to come into existence a smile dawned on his face as he got the joke

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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
Noun
Debbie is kind of that other extreme, with the dawn of MTV as a big inspiration. — Laurie Brookins, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026 The agency also recommends trimming tall grass and weeds, checking window and door screens and limiting outdoor activity around dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes that spread West Nile virus are most active. — Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
The person who isn't a professional military officer, pursues a broad, deep, public professional career, and yet dawns the uniform an serves his nation. — CBS News, 12 July 2026 As October dawned, Clinton held a lead but not an overwhelming one. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawn
  1. sunrise
  2. beginning
  3. start
  4. dawning
  5. inception
  6. begin
  7. day
  8. onset
Noun
  • Senior students at the three high schools also got to mark the start of their final high school year with coffee and doughnuts at a senior sunrise event, said Lily Konczyk, Andrew High School Student Council co-president.
    — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Several of our local parks are only open from sunrise to sunset (outside of special events).
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of sunrise
Noun
  • That kind of visceral reaction has been baked into Paranormal Activity from the beginning.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The beginning of the advertisement focuses on Miestowski reaching for the driver in a golf bag.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of beginning
Verb
  • To improve chances of a timely reply, patients should start messages by greeting their doctor by name, ideally including both first and last names.
    — Paul Hsieh, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • And then Joe Milton started putting it together and had two outstanding preseason games.
    — Jon Machota, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of start
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
Definition of dawning
Noun
  • After each meeting, a colleague would ask if there had been any progress citing the days, months and finally years since the committee’s inception.
    — Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The Milford Public Library serves both village and township residents and maintains special collections on autism, genealogy and the Civil War, as well as microfilmed editions of the Milford Times dating to the newspaper’s inception.
    — Brendel Clark, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of inception
Verb
  • The administration did cripple Iran's nuclear program in 2025 with bombing strikes on various facilities, but since this war began, there's been no effective action taken against its nuclear program.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Since Tiffany’s attacks began, Crowley has moved in Hong’s general direction, emphasizing his requirements—using exclusively renewable energy to power new data centers, building them with union labor—for developers to receive the tax breaks.
    — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of begin
Noun
  • But Moores would express misery in recalling ballpark-construction hassles and MLB politics that frustrated his advocacy of small-market clubs and game-day affordability.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • However, parents should be extra vigilant because this is also an accident-prone day for your kids.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of day
Noun
  • Unlike many conditions catalogued under the umbrella term of dementia, childhood dementias are often caused by mutations in a single gene that happen to trigger similar mechanisms responsible for adult-onset neurodegeneration.
    — Mike McRae August 26, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
  • That isolation was compounded because he was diagnosed just as the country locked down at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bullock said.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of onset

Phrases Containing dawn

Browse Nearby Words

dawdling
dawn
dawned
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Cite this Entry

“Dawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawn. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dawn

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dawn

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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