dawn 1 of 2

noun

Definition of dawnnext
1
as in sunrise
the first appearance of light in the morning or the time of its appearance we stayed up talking until dawn

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in beginning
the point at which something begins the dawn of civilization

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dawn

2 of 2

verb

ˈdȯn How to pronounce dawn (audio)
as in to start
to come into existence a smile dawned on his face as he got the joke

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dawn
Noun
People started lining up pre-dawn to find a place in the Breakfast Club, the morning drinking gameday den at The Upstairs Pub, and the tailgating lots were full despite the noon kickoff. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 Marissa Mayer has been a builder in Silicon Valley since the dawn of Google. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
The dawning potential of generative AI promises to radically change how movies and TV shows are made. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026 There’s both a lot and not much at all going on in Kamei’s life, which is complicated by his dawning friendship — and maybe something more — with an American military brat, Colin (West Mulholland, Presence). — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawn
  1. sunrise
  2. beginning
  3. start
  4. dawning
  5. inception
  6. begin
  7. day
  8. onset
Noun
  • Friday will see a brief warm front slide through around sunrise before a cold front moves through around noon.
    — Ron Smiley, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The phenomenon occurs when rocket exhaust expands in the thin upper atmosphere and catches sunlight before sunrise.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of sunrise
Noun
  • Expect some traffic back-ups at the beginning and end of the game as parking lots empty and drivers hit the road in what is a construction zone on highways running through downtown.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Advertisement At the beginning of May, separatists turned in a petition with hundreds of thousands of signatures to push for a vote on leaving Canada, while opponents collected signatures in support of staying.
    — Chantelle Lee, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of beginning
Verb
  • Some of the best philanthropy starts from a place of personal connection.
    — Melissa Stevens, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • But a new federal political action committee gives him a way to start building beyond Pennsylvania.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of start
Noun
  • The quiet moments, the grief, the slow dawning of realization that her husband had written this piece as a way of dealing with his grief and her anger.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Ever enterprising, Toha does eventually make her way back to the party, but there, the ultimate dawning of her place outside of Nelly’s circle is heartbreaking.
    — Alissa Simon, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
Definition of dawning
Noun
  • McKenzie went 17 for 28 with 295 yards and two inceptions for the Eagles (3-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference).
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Since their inception, smart glasses have struggled to erase their reputation as a privacy concern.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of inception
Verb
  • Years ago, Maximilian Schnell left his job and his life in Paris and began a nomadic lifestyle on his bicycle.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Tesla began taking $50,000 reservations—or $250,000 for one of 1,000 limited Founders Series cars—and targeted a 2020 launch.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of begin
Noun
  • Prosecutors charged her with registering to vote and casting a ballot the same day as Shah, but in her case at a polling location in Solano County.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Years earlier, a similar test by another group of researchers left their machine smoking, two days in a row.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of day
Noun
  • But in those who used it more addictively, social reward activity peaked before puberty’s onset.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • During the experiment, the chip analyzed signals to predict the onset of sawtooth instabilities, which involve rapid changes in plasma conditions.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of onset

Phrases Containing dawn

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dawdling
dawn
dawned
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Cite this Entry

“Dawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawn. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dawn

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