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
After the last percussive hit, a drum stretched and warped to sound a bit like a robot powering down, comes an ensemble of bell tones, rising like mist at dawn. — Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 31 Oct. 2026 Considering that deer live by their noses, Woods has a logical theory about why deer are most active at dawn and dusk. — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2026
Verb
Soyka Soyka wanted to open a neighborhood hangout in his Morningside neighborhood as the new millennium dawned in 2000. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026 There’s both a lot and not much at all going on in Kamei’s life, which is complicated by his dawning friendship — and maybe something more — with an American military brat, Colin (West Mulholland, Presence). — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 9 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
  • Smoky incense is still a source of meditative calm and comfort, but it’s made more transparent and wearable this season by pairing it with florals or creamier woods—more like a sunrise yoga class than an old-school church.
    — Loren Savini, Allure, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Someone slaps a strip of medical tape across their lips, promises you deeper sleep, fewer snores and a sharper jawline by morning, then cuts to a dreamy sunrise shot.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sunrise
Noun
  • Clocks are advanced ahead one hour at the beginning of daylight saving time, in March, and clocks are moved back one hour in November when returning to standard time.
    — Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The married owners—Ingrid Rivas, an agronomist, and Radamés Arroyo, an engineer—first began developing the 25-acre property by cultivating Tahiti limes, and the name Hacienda Verde Tahití later became a tribute to those agricultural beginnings.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of beginning
Verb
  • As temperatures start to drop, nightly firepits are the place to gather, stargaze, and make s’mores.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Oct. 2026
  • When Luka Doncic started cooking in the first quarter, the Lakers followed his lead in opening a 25-point lead in the second quarter over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of start
Noun
  • Or the dawning in 1893 of the age of Wrigley and its Juicy Fruit gum!
    — Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of dawning
Noun
  • The Christian Science Monitor owned and operated eight Linotype machines at inception.
    — Aaron Glantz, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2026
  • This happened despite the fact that calculations of orbital forcings, together with modeling of how carbon dioxide interferes with glacial inception, have suggested the next ice age was postponed by tens of thousands of years.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of inception
Verb
  • Joby Aviation has begun piloted electric air taxi flights across Florida, testing how the aircraft could operate between airports and other locations as the state works toward building a network for future aerial transportation.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • The Heat’s starters outscored the Pacers by 20 points in 13 minutes together, including an 18-4 run to begin the second half.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of begin
Noun
  • Others charged registered to vote and cast their ballots the same day despite not being eligible, the DOJ alleged.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Van Daalen said the business started with just three owners and two employees, with the owners working from open until close each day.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of day
Noun
  • This is a movie about selective memory, centered on a fortysomething film director named Shinpei (Kato Shinsuke) whose career has been prematurely halted by early-onset dementia.
    — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Researchers from McGill University in Canada and the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom enrolled 96 adults between the ages of 18 and 45 who were living with obesity and early-onset type 2 diabetes.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 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 Nov. 2026.

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