dawn
English · Thesaurus
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dawn¹
- /dɔːn/ UK
- /doːn/ Australia, British, New Zealand
- /dɔn/ US
- /dɑn/ US, cot caught merger
- /dɔn/ Scotland
Sounds like don, Don (cot–caught merger) · Rhymes with -ɔːn
Where it comes from
From Middle English dawnen, either a back-formation from dawnynge or a modification of dawen (“to dawn”) after it. The noun is from the verb.
verb dawns · dawning · dawned
- To begin to brighten with daylight. A new day dawns.
-
To start to appear or become obvious.
I don’t want to be there when the truth dawns on him.
Similar: glimpse
- To begin to give promise; to begin to appear or to expand. when life awakes, and dawns at every line
noun dawns
- The morning twilight period immediately before sunrise.
-
The rising of the sun.
Every act of a Roman, from birth to death, from dawn to night, was controlled and supervised by some presiding deity.
Similar: break of dawn, break of day, daybreak, day-dawn, dayspring, sunrise
-
The time when the sun rises.
She rose before dawn to meet the train.
Similar: break of dawn, break of day, crack of dawn, daybreak, day-dawn, dayspring, sunrise
- The earliest phase of something. The dawn of civilization didn't imply twilight of barbarity.
Similar: ass crack of dawn, break, break of dawn, break of day, butt crack of dawn, cockcrow, crack of dawn, dawn, daybreak, daylight, dayspring, first light, lauds, solrise, sparrow-fart, sun, sunlight, sunrise, sunrising, sunup · Opposite: dusk
Dawn²
Where it comes from
From dawn.
proper noun Dawns
- A female given name from English, sometimes given to a girl born at dawn. "Thomas, if it's a boy," she said, "after my uncle. But if it's a girl I'd like something fancy for a first name." "What about Dawn?" she said. "I like the sound of Dawn. Then Mary for a second name. Dawn Mary Parker, it sounds sweet."
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: daybreak, dayspring, cockcrow, first light, sunup, sunrise, morning, aurora, sink in, come home, penetrate, get across, get through, click, predawn, morn
noun
Similar: ass crack of dawn, break, break of dawn, break of day, butt crack of dawn, cockcrow, crack of dawn, dawn, daybreak, daylight, dayspring, first light, lauds, solrise, sparrow-fart, sun, sunlight, sunrise, sunrising, sunup · Opposite: dusk
Translations
Every language
verb to begin to brighten with daylight
| Español | amanecer, alborear, aclarar, clarecer, quebrar albores |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 밝다 bakda |
| 日本語 | あかつき akatsuki, 夜明け yoake, 曙 akebono |
| 中文 | 拂曉 /拂晓 fúxiǎo, 黎明 límíng, 破曉 /破晓 pòxiǎo |
| हिन्दी | उषा uṣā |
| Kiswahili | kucha |
| Português | amanhecer |
| Français | se lever |
| Deutsch | dämmern, grauen, tagen |
| Italiano | spuntare, albeggiare |
| Ελληνικά | ξημερώνω ximeróno, χαράζω charázo |
| Русский | наступа́ть nastupátʹ, рассвета́ть rassvetátʹ |
| العربية | فَجْر fajr |
verb to start to appear, to be realized
| Español | caer en cuenta, dar en ello, encendérsele el bombillo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 밝혀지다 balkyeojida |
| Português | aparecer, nascer |
| Français | naître |
| Deutsch | dämmern |
| Italiano | spuntare |
| Русский | озаря́ть ozarjátʹ, осеня́ть osenjátʹ |
noun morning twilight period
| Español | alba, amanecer, madrugada, dilúculo, maitinada, amanecida |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 새벽 saebyeok |
| 日本語 | 夜明け yoake, 暁 akatsuki |
| 中文 | 黎明 límíng, 拂曉 /拂晓 fúxiǎo, 破曉 /破晓 pòxiǎo, 旦 dàn |
| हिन्दी | उषा uṣā, ऊषा ūṣā, प्रभात prabhāt, तड़का taṛkā, सवेरा saverā, सुबह subah |
| Kiswahili | alfajiri |
| Português | alvorecer, alvorada, amanhecer, aurora, alva |
| Français | aube |
| Deutsch | Morgendämmerung, Dämmerung, Morgengrauen |
| Italiano | alba |
| Ελληνικά | αυγή avgí |
| Română | zori, auroră, alba |
| Русский | заря́ zarjá, рассве́т rassvét |
| Tiếng Việt | bình minh, rạng đông |
| العربية | فَجْر fajr, فَلَق falaq |
| עברית | שחר shakhar |
noun rising of the sun
| Español | amanecer, alba, albor, alboreo, amanecida |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 해돋이 haedoji |
| 日本語 | 夜明け yoake |
| 中文 | 天亮 tiānliàng |
| हिन्दी | प्रभात prabhāt, भोर bhor, सूर्योदय sūryoday |
| Português | amanhecer, alva, alvorada |
| Français | lever du soleil, aube |
| Deutsch | Dämmerung, Morgendämmerung, Morgengrauen, Tagesanbruch |
| Italiano | alba, aurora |
| Ελληνικά | ανατολή anatolí |
| Română | răsărit, alba, auroră |
| Русский | восхо́д vosxód, восхо́д со́лнца vosxód sólnca, рассве́т rassvét, заря |
| العربية | شُرُوق šurūq |
noun time of sunrise
| 한국어 | 새벽 saebyeok |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 明け方 akegata |
| हिन्दी | भोर bhor, प्रत्युष pratyuṣ |
| Português | aurora, alvorada |
| Français | aube, aurore |
| Deutsch | Dämmerung, Morgendämmerung, Morgengrauen, Tagesanbruch |
| Italiano | alba, albori |
| Ελληνικά | αυγή avgí |
| Русский | восхо́д со́лнца vosxód sólnca, рассве́т rassvét, заря |
| العربية | شُرُوق šurūq, مَشْرِق mašriq, إِشْرَاق ʔišrāq |
| עברית | שחר shakhar |
Talk about this word "dawn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dawn. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. dawn. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dawn "dawn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dawn.Cite this
@misc{dawn_2026,
title = {dawn},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dawn},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
