dawn

noun

UK/dɔːn/
US/dɑːn/

Definitions of dawn noun

  1. B2CountableUncountable

    The time of day when the first light appears in the sky before sunrise.

    • We awoke at dawn.

    • We departed as the dawn was breaking.

    • We left at the break of dawn.

Phrases of dawn noun

  • from dawn to dusk

    From the early part of the morning until the end of the day.

    The farmers work in the fields from dawn to dusk.

  • the dawn of something

    the initial stage or beginning of a period or something new.

    The widespread adoption of the internet marked the dawn of the digital age.

verb

UK/dɔːn/
US/dɑːn/

Definitions of dawn verb

begin

  1. Intransitive

    When a day or a period of time begins to appear or arrive.

    • He left the house as the day was dawning.

    • The personal computer era dawned in the late 1970s.

    • A new era is dawning.

understanding

  1. Intransitive

    To become gradually known or understood.

    • The truth about him gradually dawned.

    • It eventually dawned on me that he wouldn't be coming back.

    • After some thought, it began to dawn on me what she meant.

Phrasal Verbs of dawn

  • dawn on someone

    To become aware of a fact or realization after initially failing to understand it.

    It dawned on her after reading the letter that he had been hiding the truth all along.