nighttime

noun

night·​time ˈnīt-ˌtīm 

often attributive

: the time from dusk to dawn

Synonyms

• night

Examples of nighttime in a Sentence

The animal hunts in the nighttime.

before electricity, gas lamps were used for illumination during the nighttime

Recent Examples on the Web

Other ways to experience the falls include the Macuco Safari, which sends you on a Jeep ride through the rainforest, followed by a speedboat ride down the river, and a Full Moon Walking Tour, a nighttime trek to see the rare lunar rainbow. —Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

The Dedinis didn’t know where to go to find frogs or how to distinguish the croaks of legal species against the nighttime wilderness orchestra. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2025

During their nighttime surveys, researchers found several unfamiliar-looking lizards near a waterfall, the study said. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025

The pack comes with six pairs of nursing pads, including thick pads for nighttime and thin pads for daytime. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nighttime

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• noontime

Kids Definition

nighttime

noun

night·​time ˈnīt-ˌtīm 

: the time from dusk to dawn

nighttime adjective

Legal Definition

nighttime

noun

night·​time

1

: the time from dusk to dawn

2

: a statutorily set period usually beginning shortly after dusk and ending shortly after dawn