predawn

adjective

pre·​dawn ˌprē-ˈdȯn 

-ˈdän

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

predawn noun

or less commonly pre-dawn

plural predawns also pre-dawns

The most bone-chilling predawns create the sharpest sunrises.

—Christine Schultz

… stepping out into the quiet pre-dawn, closing the door.

—Bryan Burrough

Examples of predawn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Crime The first look at the killer came from grainy security footage — a person dressed in all black with a gray backpack, gun aimed squarely at Thompson’s back in the predawn light of Dec. 4. —Lorena O'Neil, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025

In the predawn hours, up to 2,000 visitors gathered nearby to watch as Shaver and her team ferried the hatchlings to the wet sand at the water’s edge. —Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2025

This week’s episode opens with water washing over Victoria Ratliff’s feet while her kids sit a few yards away on a blue-tinged, predawn beach. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025

Their predawn chore concluded, Reacher wants to sleep. —Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for predawn

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon