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

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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
My novel Blow Yourself Up begins when smartphones make their way into high schools and follows the rise of platforms and influencers, ending just before the dawn of AI. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 Cultural critics have been eulogizing this idea of monoculture since the dawn of the streaming era. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 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
  • Food and drink From sunrise to sunset, breakfast to dinner, Oku Andalusia really gets it right.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Formed 375 million years ago, give or take, the rock has a picturesque arch that’s particularly beautiful at sunrise and sunset.
    — Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 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
  • Inspections started June 24 — the day after the late-June discovery — on the building’s third floor.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • States have already started slashing caregivers’ pay and other critical disability services in anticipation of Medicaid cuts that will roll out next year.
    — STAT, STAT, 2 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
  • The backstory Since its inception in 1970, IHG’s upper luxury hotel and resort brand has focused on creating a timeless take on modern luxury in its properties while offering intuitive service with an emphasis on innovation.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Matthews has been with the Royals since the franchise’s inception in 1969, called his 8,000th game last week and won the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford Frick Award.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of inception
Verb
  • Once the playoffs began, New York has looked like a different team, and twice blew out top-seed Minnesota to advance.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The White House originally said checks would begin in October, but the administration official told CNBC the first batch went out this Wednesday.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of begin
Noun
  • Mbappé did, however, post a video of himself cycling on social media over the weekend, days after his Real Madrid manager, José Mourinho, said that activity is one soccer players should avoid.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Some 10 days after the attack, the soldiers were loaded onto a cargo plane.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of day
Noun
  • Onishchenko told the state news agency TASS that the onset of cold weather would likely prevent transmission.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Piotr Swat | Lightrocket | Getty Images On Friday, BioMarin announced five-year data from a Phase 3 trial for the drugs Pombiliti and Opfolda to treat late-onset Pompe disease, or LOPD.
    — Anna Rodin, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of onset

Phrases Containing dawn

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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 7 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dawn

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dawn

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