dawn

1 of 2

verb

ˈdȯn 

ˈdän

dawned; dawning; dawns

intransitive verb

1

: to begin to grow light as the sun rises

waited for the day to dawn

2

: to begin to appear or develop

a new era is dawning

3

: to begin to be perceived or understood

the truth finally dawned on us

dawn

2 of 2

noun

1

: the first appearance of light in the morning followed by sunrise

danced till dawn

at the crack of dawn

Almost before the first faint sign of dawn appeared she arose again …

—Thomas Hardy

2

: beginning

the dawn of the space age

Synonyms

Verb

• actualize
• appear
• arise
• begin
• break
• commence
• engender
• form
• materialize
• originate
• set in
• spring
• start

Noun

• aurora
• cockcrow
• dawning
• day
• daybreak
• daylight
• light
• morn
• morning
• sun
• sunrise
• sunup

Examples of dawn in a Sentence

Verb

They waited for the day to dawn.

A new age is dawning.

Noun

as dawn breaks over the city

Winter brings late dawns and early sunsets.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In 2023, Canadian fires filled American skies with choking smoke; 2024 saw Hurricane Helene devastate southern Appalachia; 2025 dawned with the Los Angeles inferno. —Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2025

The European Commission’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which dawned in July 2024, aims to make transparency and traceability a regulatory requirement for any luxury brand selling in the European market. —Sofia Celeste, WWD, 8 Jan. 2025

Noun

A day after firefighters got a reprieve with lighter winds than expected, gusts were hitting up to 35 mph (56 kph) on the coast and in valleys and 55 mph (88 kph) in the mountains before dawn, National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said. —Josh Dubose, The Hill, 15 Jan. 2025

But winds are expected to pick back up, and the warning will be in place again before dawn Wednesday. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, probably back-formation from dawning daybreak, alteration of dawing, from Old English dagung, from dagian — see daw entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dawn

• at the crack of dawn
• dawn chorus
• dawn horse
• dawn on
• dawn redwood
• from dawn to/until dusk
• pre-dawn

Kids Definition

dawn

1 of 2 verb

ˈdȯn 

ˈdän

1

: to begin to grow light as the sun rises

waited for the day to dawn

2

: to begin to appear or develop

a smile dawned on her face

3

: to begin to be understood

the solution dawned on him

dawn

2 of 2 noun

1

: the first appearance of light in the morning

2

: a first appearance : beginning

the dawn of a new age