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
Some isolated afternoon storms are possible, but the best chance of rain and storms will not occur until after sunset into the predawn hours of Sunday.
—Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
In the predawn hours of Friday, after trading offers several times, Thune and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer settled on a deal to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security through September 30.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Pending weather conditions and cloud cover, the Atlas V-Amazon Leo predawn launch could be visible from Florida to New England, according to ULA.
—Jenna Prestininzi, The Providence Journal, 28 Mar. 2026
The Loyola University Chicago community gathered for a vigil at the Madonna della Strada Chapel on Thursday to honor the life of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old student who was shot and killed in the predawn hours less than a mile away from campus.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predawn
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
In the predawn hours of Friday, after trading offers several times, Thune and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer settled on a deal to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security through September 30.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Pending weather conditions and cloud cover, the Atlas V-Amazon Leo predawn launch could be visible from Florida to New England, according to ULA.
—Jenna Prestininzi, The Providence Journal, 28 Mar. 2026
The Loyola University Chicago community gathered for a vigil at the Madonna della Strada Chapel on Thursday to honor the life of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old student who was shot and killed in the predawn hours less than a mile away from campus.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predawn
Cite this Entry
“Predawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predawn. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
