dawn
dawn /d'ɔːn/ (dawns dawning dawned)
1 [N-VAR]
Dawn is the time of day when light first appears in the sky, just before the sun rises.
Nancy woke at dawn.
2 [N-SING] usu the N of n
The dawn of a period of time or a situation is the beginning of it. (LITERARY)
...the dawn of the radio age.
3 [VERB] V
If something is dawning, it is beginning to develop or come into existence. (WRITTEN)
Throughout Europe a new railway age, that of the high-speed train, has dawned...
● dawning [N-SING] oft the
...the dawning of the space age...
4 [VERB] V
When you say that a particular day dawned, you mean it arrived or began, usually when it became light. (WRITTEN)
When the great day dawned, the first concern was the weather...
5
at the crack of dawn: see crackdawn cho|rus
[N-SING]
The dawn chorus is the singing of birds at dawn. (BRIT)dawn on
or dawn upon
[PHRASAL VERB] it V P n that, V P n
If a fact or idea dawns on you, you realize it.
It gradually dawned on me that I still had talent and ought to run again...
Then the chilling truth dawned on Captain Gary Snavely.
= strikedawn raid (dawn raids)
1 [N-COUNT]
If police officers carry out a dawn raid, they go to someone's house very early in the morning to search it or arrest them.
Thousands of pounds worth of drugs were seized in dawn raids yesterday.
2 [N-COUNT]
If a person or company carries out a dawn raid, they try to buy a large number of a company's shares at the start of a day's trading, especially because they want to buy the whole company. (BUSINESS)
Southern acquired 11.2 per cent of Sweb in a dawn raid on Monday.
1 [N-VAR]
Dawn is the time of day when light first appears in the sky, just before the sun rises.
Nancy woke at dawn.
2 [N-SING] usu the N of n
The dawn of a period of time or a situation is the beginning of it. (LITERARY)
...the dawn of the radio age.
3 [VERB] V
If something is dawning, it is beginning to develop or come into existence. (WRITTEN)
Throughout Europe a new railway age, that of the high-speed train, has dawned...
● dawning [N-SING] oft the
...the dawning of the space age...
4 [VERB] V
When you say that a particular day dawned, you mean it arrived or began, usually when it became light. (WRITTEN)
When the great day dawned, the first concern was the weather...
5
at the crack of dawn: see crackdawn cho|rus
[N-SING]
The dawn chorus is the singing of birds at dawn. (BRIT)dawn on
or dawn upon
[PHRASAL VERB] it V P n that, V P n
If a fact or idea dawns on you, you realize it.
It gradually dawned on me that I still had talent and ought to run again...
Then the chilling truth dawned on Captain Gary Snavely.
= strikedawn raid (dawn raids)
1 [N-COUNT]
If police officers carry out a dawn raid, they go to someone's house very early in the morning to search it or arrest them.
Thousands of pounds worth of drugs were seized in dawn raids yesterday.
2 [N-COUNT]
If a person or company carries out a dawn raid, they try to buy a large number of a company's shares at the start of a day's trading, especially because they want to buy the whole company. (BUSINESS)
Southern acquired 11.2 per cent of Sweb in a dawn raid on Monday.