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
Though reports vary, the dawn of the PG-13 film was in the mid-1980s, when the movie industry noted a gap between kid-friendly films and adults-only movies. — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026 This set of minimalistic dusk-to-dawn deck lights is one of the simplest options to add lights around your railings, and more than 11,000 reviewers give them five stars. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 29 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
  • The question that matters most A famous name should be the beginning of the conversation, not the end of it.
    — Jason St. Angelo, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The new findings indicate that last year’s increases were a momentary surge, rather than the beginning of a positive trend.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 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
  • Instead of prioritizing style alone, consider a supportive walking sneaker designed for long days on your feet.
    — Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • That is just the day before the campaign gets underway, with London City Lionesses hosting Manchester United in the season opener on Friday at 7pm BST.
    — Leon Imber, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of day
Noun
  • At the onset of summer season the airport similarly saw a decline in its passenger forecast amid rising energy prices.
    — DJ Simmons, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
  • At its onset, the school president had asked people to embrace those within their proximity.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 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 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dawn

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dawn

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