dawn

[ dawn ]
/ dɔn /
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noun

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

verb (used without object)

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

Origin of dawn

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

OTHER WORDS FROM dawn

dawn·like, adjective un·dawned, adjective

Words nearby dawn

dawes, dawes act of 1887, dawes plan, dawk, dawkins, dawn, dawn chorus, dawn horse, dawn on, dawn patrol, dawn phenomenon

Words related to dawn on

strike, reveal, hit, get, move, reach, carry, touch, affect, expose, flash, impress, tell, look, register, influence, seem, sway, inspire

British Dictionary definitions for dawn on

dawn
/ (dɔːn) /

noun

daybreak; sunrise Related adjective: auroral
the sky when light first appears in the morning
the beginning of something

verb (intr)

to begin to grow light after the night
to begin to develop, appear, or expand
(usually foll by on or upon) to begin to become apparent (to)

Derived forms of dawn

dawnlike, adjective

Word Origin for dawn

Old English dagian to dawn; see day

Idioms and Phrases with dawn on (1 of 2)

dawn on

Also, dawn upon. Become evident or understood, as in It finally dawned on him that he was expected to call them, or Around noon it dawned upon me that I had never eaten breakfast. This expression transfers the beginning of daylight to the beginning of a thought process. Harriet Beecher Stowe had it in Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852): “The idea that they had either feelings or rights had never dawned upon her.” [Mid-1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with dawn on (2 of 2)

dawn