variants
or less commonly pre-dawn
: existing or occurring before dawn
a predawn attack
the predawn hours
… the gigantic telescope started scanning the predawn sky.—
Howard Blum
Howard Blum
predawn
noun
or less commonly pre-dawn
plural predawns also pre-dawns
The most bone-chilling predawns create the sharpest sunrises.
—Christine Schultz
Christine Schultz
… stepping out into the quiet pre-dawn, closing the door.
—Bryan Burrough
Bryan Burrough
Examples of predawn in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The last planet to rise is Mercury, which reaches its highest altitude in the predawn sky on Aug. 21.
—Jesse Emspak, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2025
The visibility of the ongoing Perseid meteor shower, considered one of the best shows in space, will peak in the predawn hours into Wednesday, according to experts.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 12 Aug. 2025
Separately on Wednesday, the Albuquerque Police Department announced murder charges against three teenagers — including two juveniles — in the July 2 shooting death of a homeless man in Albuquerque who was chased from a bus stop in the predawn hours.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2025
Still, the brightest Perseids should shine through, especially during the predawn hours when the constellation Perseus — from which the meteors appear to radiate, hence the shower's name — climbs high in the northeastern sky.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predawn
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Jesse Emspak, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2025
The visibility of the ongoing Perseid meteor shower, considered one of the best shows in space, will peak in the predawn hours into Wednesday, according to experts.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 12 Aug. 2025
Separately on Wednesday, the Albuquerque Police Department announced murder charges against three teenagers — including two juveniles — in the July 2 shooting death of a homeless man in Albuquerque who was chased from a bus stop in the predawn hours.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2025
Still, the brightest Perseids should shine through, especially during the predawn hours when the constellation Perseus — from which the meteors appear to radiate, hence the shower's name — climbs high in the northeastern sky.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predawn
Cite this Entry
“Predawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predawn. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
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