noon

noun

1
: midday
specifically : 12 o'clock at midday
2
archaic : midnight
used chiefly in the phrase noon of night
3
: the highest point

Examples of noon in a Sentence

The party will take place from noon to 4 p.m. He showed up at precisely 12 noon.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
At noon, Trump threatened to further increase tariffs on Canadian goods as a punishment for their retaliation. Patrick.reis, Vox, 4 Mar. 2025 In addition, there will be an exclusive Verizon presale through Verizon Access for select shows beginning on Tuesday at noon local; for more details click here. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Mar. 2025 Beginning at noon, staff at the forest preserve once again offered families the opportunity to watch naturalists tap into a maple tree as well as try doing it themselves along with a host of other activities. David Sharos, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025 South Carolina Wildfires Most wildfires burning in South Carolina have been contained, but several still remain active as of Monday at noon. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for noon

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English nōn ninth hour from sunrise, from Latin nona, from feminine of nonus ninth; akin to Latin novem nine — more at nine

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of noon was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Noon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noon. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

noon

noun
: the middle of the day : 12 o'clock in the daytime
noon adjective
Etymology

Old English nōn "ninth hour from sunrise," derived from Latin nona, a feminine form of nonus "ninth," from novem "nine"

Word Origin
Noon has not always meant "12 o'clock in the daytime." In the ancient Roman way of keeping track of time, the hours of the day were counted from sunrise to sunset. The ninth hour of their day (about 3 p.m. nowadays) was called nona, Latin for "ninth." In the early period of English, the word was borrowed as nōn, also referring to the ninth hour after sunrise. By the 14th century, however, the word came to be used for midday, 12 o'clock, as we use it today.

More from Merriam-Webster on noon

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