- 1[uncountable, countable] the time of day when light first appears synonym daybreak, sunrise They start work at dawn. It's almost dawn. We arrived in New York as dawn broke (= as the first light could be seen). I woke up just before dawn. summer's early dawns He works from dawn to dusk (= from morning to night). The plane took off, leaving Boston behind in a blue-gray dawn. compare dusk
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- 2[singular] dawn (of something) the beginning or first signs of something the dawn of civilization/time/history Peace marked a new dawn in the country's history. the dawn of a golden age in European art Idioms
very early in the morning I have to get up at the crack of dawn.
the moment in the early hours of the morning when it begins to get light
Check pronunciation: dawn