noun
dawn
dawn
noun
1
The time of day when light first appears in the sky before the sun rises.
"They set off at dawn to beat the traffic."
"The birds start singing well before dawn."
verb
1
To begin to become clear or obvious to someone, often suddenly.
"It finally dawned on him that he'd left his passport at home."
How to Use Dawn
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSunrise time, or (as a verb) the moment an idea suddenly clicks in your head.
Common mistake
As a verb, it needs "on" — an idea "dawns on" you, not "dawns to" you.
Common pairings
at dawn
it dawned on me
the dawn of a new era
Word Forms
dawned past tense, dawns plural, dawns singular
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They set off at _____ to beat the traffic.
Etymology
From Middle English dawnen, related to the older word daw, meaning to grow light.