sunrise

noun

sun·​rise ˈsən-ˌrīz 

1

: the apparent rising of the sun above the horizon

also : the accompanying atmospheric effects

2

: the time when the upper limb of the sun appears above the horizon as a result of the diurnal rotation of the earth

Synonyms

• aurora
• cockcrow
• dawn
• dawning
• day
• daybreak
• daylight
• light
• morn
• morning
• sun
• sunup

Examples of sunrise in a Sentence

We were up before sunrise.

We worked from sunrise to sunset.

We watched the sunrise from the beach.

the pink light of sunrise

Recent Examples on the Web

In the still and quiet hours before sunrise Thursday, Maurice Reid was a kinetic and infectious ball of passion. —Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 24 Jan. 2025

Hours earlier, before sunrise, firefighters attacked the Sepulveda fire, which broke out on the bone-dry hillsides of the 405 Freeway and was burning toward multimillion-dollar homes. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Crowds lined up before sunrise to attend an indoor inaugural parade at the Capital One Arena in Washington, which holds about 20,000 people. —Neil Vigdor, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025

Snow, sleet and freezing rain will stretch from coastal Texas to Louisiana and Mississippi by sunrise Tuesday. —Karina Tsui, CNN, 20 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sunrise

• tequila sunrise

Kids Definition

sunrise

noun

sun·​rise ˈsən-ˌrīz 

1

: the apparent rising of the sun above the horizon

also : the accompanying atmospheric effects (as color)

2

: the time at which the sun rises

Geographical Definition

Sunrise

geographical name

Sun·​rise ˈsən-ˌrīz 

city in southeastern Florida west of Fort Lauderdale population 84,439