midnight
MIHD-nyt
Midnight (noun) means Twelve o'clock at night; the moment the day changes. Example: “The party is due to end at midnight.”
noun
1
Twelve o'clock at night; the moment the day changes.
"The party is due to end at midnight."
"We watched the fireworks at midnight on New Year's Eve."
"The clock struck midnight and the new day began."
adj
1
Completely dark; as black as the middle of the night.
"She wore a midnight blue dress to the gala."
"A midnight sky with no moon hung over the quiet farm."
"The cat's midnight fur made it nearly invisible in the dark hallway."
How to use midnight
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe exact middle of the night, 12:00 am, or (as an adjective) a very deep black or dark blue colour.
Common mistake
"Burning the midnight oil" means working late into the night, not literally burning oil.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
midnight oil
midnight blue
strike midnight
burn the midnight oil
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Word forms
- Plural
- midnights
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The party is due to end at _____.
Etymology
From Old English midniht, from "mid-" + "night" — literally the middle of the night.
Synonyms
View more →
stroke of twelve
witching hour
nightfall's end
00:00
12 o'clock
12 midnight
12 a.m.
24:00
dead of night
noon
noon of night
Antonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “midnight” mean?
The word “midnight” means twelve o'clock at night; the moment the day changes. In plain terms, the exact middle of the night, 12:00 am, or (as an adjective) a very deep black or dark blue colour.
How do you pronounce “midnight”?
“Midnight” is pronounced MIHD-nyt ([ˈmɪd̚ˌnɐɪt] in IPA).
How do you use “midnight” in a sentence?
Here is “midnight” used in a sentence: “The party is due to end at midnight.”
What is another word for “midnight”?
Words with a similar meaning to “midnight” include 00:00, 12 o'clock, 12 midnight, 12 a.m., 24:00 and dead of night.
What is the opposite of “midnight”?
The opposite of “midnight” — its antonyms — is midday.
What part of speech is “midnight”?
Depending on how it is used, “midnight” can be a noun and an adjective.
Where does the word “midnight” come from?
The word “midnight” comes from Old English. From Old English midniht, from "mid-" + "night" — literally the middle of the night.
Is “midnight” a common word?
“Midnight” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
What is the difference between 'midnight' and 'noon'?
'Midnight' is twelve o'clock at night, the moment the day changes, while 'noon' is twelve o'clock in the middle of the day. They mark opposite points on the clock, twelve hours apart.
Is midnight 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.?
Midnight is conventionally written as 12 a.m., marking the start of a new day, whereas noon is 12 p.m. Because this can cause confusion, many official schedules avoid it by writing 12:00 midnight or using a 24-hour time like 00:00.
Does 'midnight' belong to the day before or the day after?
Midnight is the moment the day changes, so it marks the boundary between one day ending and the next beginning. To avoid ambiguity, people often specify, for example, 'midnight Friday going into Saturday'.
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