predawn

adjective

pre·​dawn ˌprē-ˈdȯn How to pronounce predawn (audio)
-ˈdän
variants or less commonly pre-dawn
: existing or occurring before dawn
a predawn attack
the predawn hours
… the gigantic telescope started scanning the predawn sky.Howard Blum
predawn noun
or less commonly pre-dawn
plural predawns also pre-dawns
The most bone-chilling predawns create the sharpest sunrises. Christine Schultz
… stepping out into the quiet pre-dawn, closing the door. Bryan Burrough

Examples of predawn in a Sentence

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.
Retaliatory strikes Israel hit Iran with three waves of predawn strikes on military targets last Saturday, in what U.S. officials and others had hoped would be the last shot in a hostile exchange between the two regional powers. Aurora Almendral, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2024 Find Reimers testing them on ski slopes, Nordic tracks, and bitterly cold predawn dog walks around town. Frederick Reimers, Outside Online, 31 Oct. 2024 For the monks, the guiding force is the centuries-old rule of St. Benedict, which governs everything from conflict resolution to the predawn wakeup call and seven daily prayers. Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 20 Oct. 2024 Bannon is set to leave the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, in the predawn hours and hold a news conference later in the day in Manhattan, his representatives said. Samuel Burke, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for predawn 

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of predawn was in 1883

Dictionary Entries Near predawn

Cite this Entry

“Predawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predawn. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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