noon

noun

ˈnün 

1

: midday

specifically : 12 o'clock at midday

2

archaic : midnight

—used chiefly in the phrase noon of night

3

: the highest point

Synonyms

• high noon
• lunch time
• midday
• noonday
• noontide
• noontime

Examples of noon in a Sentence

The party will take place from noon to 4 p.m.

He showed up at precisely 12 noon.

Recent Examples on the Web

Join 4 others in the comments View Comments The enforcement mechanism for the new law would be the US Justice Department, which is changing hands at noon the day after the ban and which would have wide discretion to enforce the law (or not). —David Goldman, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025

Trump posted on Truth Social just after noon on Wednesday, confirming the deal. —Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025

By noon that day, thick smoke was visible from across the city. —Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025

How the Inauguration Will Play Out Trump will recite the presidential oath of office with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., at noon ET. —John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English nōn ninth hour from sunrise, from Latin nona, from feminine of nonus ninth; akin to Latin novem nine — more at nine

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing noon

• high noon
• morning, noon, and night
• pre-noon

Kids Definition

noon

noun

ˈnün 

: the middle of the day : 12 o'clock in the daytime

noon adjective

Etymology

Old English nōn "ninth hour from sunrise," derived from Latin nona, a feminine form of nonus "ninth," from novem "nine"

Word Origin

Noon has not always meant "12 o'clock in the daytime." In the ancient Roman way of keeping track of time, the hours of the day were counted from sunrise to sunset. The ninth hour of their day (about 3 p.m. nowadays) was called nona, Latin for "ninth." In the early period of English, the word was borrowed as nōn, also referring to the ninth hour after sunrise. By the 14th century, however, the word came to be used for midday, 12 o'clock, as we use it today.