dawn

UK: /ˈdɔːn/ US: /dɔn/ ,(dôn)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

dawn /dɔn/   n. 

1. the first appearance of daylight in the morning;
   daybreak;
   sunrise:
   [uncountable] We got up at dawn.
   [countable] What a beautiful dawn!
2. [count;
   usually singular] the beginning or rise of anything;
   advent:
   the dawn of civilization.

v. [no object]

3. to begin to grow light in the morning:
   The day dawned without a cloud.
4. to begin to open or develop:
   A new era of peace is dawning.
5. to begin to be known, realized, seen, or understood: [ ~ + on/upon + obj]:
   The idea suddenly dawned upon her.
   [ It + ~ + on/upon + obj]:
   It suddenly dawned on me that I was late.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dawn  (dôn), n. 

1. the first appearance of daylight in the morning:
   Dawn broke over the valley.
2. the beginning or rise of anything;
   advent:
   the dawn of civilization.

v.i. 

3. to begin to grow light in the morning:
   The day dawned with a cloudless sky.
4. to begin to open or develop.
5. to begin to be perceived (usually fol. by on):
   The idea dawned on him.

• bef. 1150; Middle English dawen (verb, verbal), Old English dagian, derivative of dæg day; akin to Old Norse daga, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German dagen, Old High German tagēn

dawn′like′, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. daybreak, sunrise.
• 5. appear, occur, break.

Antonyms

• 1. sunset.

Dawn  (dôn), n. 

1. a female given name.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dawn / dɔːn/ noun

1. daybreak; sunrise
   Related adjective(s): auroral
2. the sky when light first appears in the morning
3. the beginning of something

verb (intransitive)

1. to begin to grow light after the night
2. to begin to develop, appear, or expand
3. usually followed by on or upon: to begin to become apparent (to)

Etymology: Old English dagian to dawn; see day

ˈdawnˌlike adjective