tonight

The word “tonight” means during the evening or night of the present day. In plain terms, the evening or night of today, as opposed to "last night" or "tomorrow night.".

“Tonight” is pronounced tuh-NYT (/təˈnaɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “tonight” used in a sentence: “Are you free for dinner tonight?”

Depending on how it is used, “tonight” can be an adverb and a noun.

The word “tonight” comes from Old English. From Old English to niht, "at/on (this) night.".

“Tonight” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Tonight” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: during the evening or night of the present day.

'This evening' points to the earlier part of the night, roughly from the end of the working day until bedtime. 'Tonight' covers the whole evening and night of the present day and can stretch later, into the darker hours. The two overlap, but 'tonight' is broader and slightly less specific about timing.

'Tonight' covers both. It refers to the evening and night of the present day, so it can mean anything from just after sunset to the late hours before morning. Whether you say 'see you tonight' at 7 p.m. or 'still awake tonight' at midnight, both use it correctly.

'Tonight' is written as one word. The older two-word and hyphenated spellings, 'to night' and 'to-night', are now outdated and considered incorrect in modern English. The informal spelling 'tonite' sometimes appears in advertising or casual notes, but 'tonight' is the only form accepted in standard writing.