twilight

noun

twi·​light ˈtwī-ˌlīt How to pronounce twilight (audio)
often attributive
1
: the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night produced by diffusion of sunlight through the atmosphere and its dust
also : a time of twilight
2
a
: an intermediate state that is not clearly defined
lived in the twilight of neutralityNewsweek
b
: a period of decline

Examples of twilight in a Sentence

The sun set and twilight fell. stumbled around the twilight of the shuttered room, unable to see where she was going
Recent Examples on the Web But on the new twilight planet of German politics, despair is only a heartbeat away from hope. Joseph De Weck, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024 That dazzling streak of light across Los Angeles’ twilight sky around 7:30 p.m. on Monday was Space X’s Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 As our population ages, there are many people who are facing the realities of what their lives can look like in their twilight years. Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 In their twilight years, the couple scaled back the tours that had dominated their schedules. Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 During peak bloom, the areas near the trees can become crowded, so the Washington Post’s Fritz Hahn recommends visiting early in the morning or around twilight. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 The former president admitted in the sketch that his shot at a second presidential term depended on a demographic of voter that’s at its twilight. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 21 Jan. 2024 As twilight adorns the sky with its ethereal canvas, the horizon’s resplendent clouds mirror the trilogy of Xiao Xia albums reflecting upon Huang Qishan’s midlife journey. Billboard China, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 Wait until twilight and then look for Mercury almost due west, low to the horizon. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'twilight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of twilight was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near twilight

Cite this Entry

“Twilight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twilight. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

twilight

noun
twi·​light ˈtwī-ˌlīt How to pronounce twilight (audio)
: the period or the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night

More from Merriam-Webster on twilight

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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