nighttime

noun

night·​time ˈnīt-ˌtīm 

often attributive

: the time from dusk to dawn

Synonyms

• dark
• darkness
• 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

The nearly 30-minute nighttime spectacular takes place from the Castle of Magical Dreams all the way down Main Street, U.S.A. —Megan Dubois, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025

Tianyu Lights Festival is a ticketed nighttime experience featuring 25 lantern installations. —Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2025

That nighttime encounter comes a couple weeks after Bieber had a daytime run-in with with shutterbugs outside a coffee shop near the Coachella Valley. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025

Though that judgment proved incorrect, the belief was reasonable under the circumstances, including poor nighttime visibility, and which only underscored that the IDF complied with the rule of distinction under law of armed conflict. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 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