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
Bua About Town Movies Until the dawn of the talkies, a movie without live music was rare. — Jane Bua, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026 The building’s three lower floors, including a ground-floor shop, caved in before dawn in the district of Maltepe, on the Asian side of Istanbul, a city that is bisected by the Bosporus Strait. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
The heightened visibility of it all has divided some elders who, after living through periods of persecution, worry a new such era could dawn. — Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 When the age of book promotion scams dawned, an AI engine clearly had read the book but did not know that Orwell had died in 1950. — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 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
  • The low-angle light plays hobs with conventional solar panels lying flat on a lander, but Blue Origin's Power Tower is designed to exploit the near-eternal sunset/sunrise.
    — David Szondy October 07, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The man who would someday hide from security before sunrise in pursuit of the closest possible spot?
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of sunrise
Noun
  • Novelty is also being rewarded, and that is something Abundantia has factored in from the beginning.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The cutting edge facade is just the beginning of the sophisticated design of the hotel, both inside and out.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of beginning
Verb
  • Birthright citizenship continued what the original Constitution started.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The first commercial natural gas deliveries from the Beetaloo Basin started flowing to the energy-hungry Northern Territory.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Oct. 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
  • Division Series have been best-of-five since their inception for annual use in 1995.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • This is not uncommon — women make up 4% of laureates since the award’s inception, though that has inched up to 12% in the past decade.
    — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of inception
Verb
  • The Dream this month announced that the team has struck a multiyear contract to host all home games at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, beginning next season.
    — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Tropical storm-force winds began to lash the Gulf shoreline around midday, hours before Isaias was expected to make landfall between Mobile Bay on the Alabama coast and the city of Destin in the Florida Panhandle.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of begin
Noun
  • Trump’s announcement during his second trip to Ohio in two weeks was prompted by an August presidential memorandum directing administration officials to identify a suitable location for the component repair center within 90 days.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • British indie film stalwart Raindance is launching Raindance Vertical, a one-day festival and financing market in London for vertical film and series.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of day
Noun
  • With the onset of the autumn agricultural harvest and winter heating seasons, domestic distillate inventories, including diesel, continue to trend downward.
    — , CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • This meant that a succession of actors played Arnold over the years, until their voices changed with the onset of puberty.
    — Darryn King, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 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 14 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dawn

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dawn

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