dawned; dawning; dawns
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
Synonyms
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
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2025
Over the last few weeks, both Waddell and Laine’s agent, Andy Scott, said all the right things about what might happen if Waddell couldn’t find a trade to his liking and Laine was still on the roster when training camp dawned next month.
—Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 19 Aug. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for dawn 
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Verb
Just 12 short months ago, a new era dawned in New England.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2025
Over the last few weeks, both Waddell and Laine’s agent, Andy Scott, said all the right things about what might happen if Waddell couldn’t find a trade to his liking and Laine was still on the roster when training camp dawned next month.
—Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 19 Aug. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for dawn
Dictionary Entries Near dawn
Cite this Entry
“Dawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawn. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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 noun1
: the first appearance of light in the morning
2
: a first appearance : beginning
the dawn of a new age
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