dawned; dawning; dawns
1
: to begin to grow light as the sun rises
waited for the day to dawn
2
: to begin to appear or develop
a new era is dawning
3
: to begin to be perceived or understood
the truth finally dawned on us
Synonyms
Examples of dawn in a Sentence
Verb
They waited for the day to dawn.
A new age is dawning.
Noun
as dawn breaks over the city
Winter brings late dawns and early sunsets.
Recent Examples on the Web
Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2025
Cleaning one's own floors seems like a terribly 20th-century way to spend one's time, and the age of the robo-vac has well and truly dawned over the last few years, with nearly 30% of US homes either using or considering a robot vacuum back in 2022, according to Interpret.
—New Atlas, 28 Jan. 2025
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Feb. 2025
Last season, winning the Carabao Cup final in such dramatic fashion against Chelsea proved to be a false dawn for Liverpool as their challenges subsequently wilted in the other three competitions.
—James Pearce, The Athletic, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for dawn 
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.
Verb
That aspect really dawned this past month on Young, a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback who won the 49ers’ most recent Super Bowl 30 years ago,
Young is admittingly biased due to his 45-year relationship with Reid dating back to BYU.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2025
Cleaning one's own floors seems like a terribly 20th-century way to spend one's time, and the age of the robo-vac has well and truly dawned over the last few years, with nearly 30% of US homes either using or considering a robot vacuum back in 2022, according to Interpret.
—New Atlas, 28 Jan. 2025
Noun
Over the months that follow, the kids will rise before dawn to feed and walk their steers, then repeat the process in the evening before heading in for dinner, hitting the sack and doing it all over again the next day.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Feb. 2025
Last season, winning the Carabao Cup final in such dramatic fashion against Chelsea proved to be a false dawn for Liverpool as their challenges subsequently wilted in the other three competitions.
—James Pearce, The Athletic, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for dawn
Dictionary Entries Near dawn
Cite this Entry
“Dawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawn. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dawn
1 of 2 verb
ˈdȯn 
ˈdän
1
: to begin to grow light as the sun rises
waited for the day to dawn
2
: to begin to appear or develop
a smile dawned on her face
3
: to begin to be understood
the solution dawned on him
dawn
2 of 2 noun1
: the first appearance of light in the morning
2
: a first appearance : beginning
the dawn of a new age
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share