variants
or less commonly pre-dawn
: existing or occurring before dawn
a predawn attack
the predawn hours
… the gigantic telescope started scanning the predawn sky.—
Howard Blum
Howard Blum
predawn
noun
or less commonly pre-dawn
plural predawns also pre-dawns
The most bone-chilling predawns create the sharpest sunrises.
—Christine Schultz
Christine Schultz
… stepping out into the quiet pre-dawn, closing the door.
—Bryan Burrough
Bryan Burrough
Examples of predawn in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The moon, Jupiter, Castor and Pollux come together to form an irregular slanted rectangle in Earth's predawn sky, one that helps highlight the spectacular diversity of objects that are visible to the naked eye above us.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2025
An aggravating predawn departure was the only option.
—Denise Snodell, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
Prosecutors allege that after planning his attack for months, Routh hid in the bushes of Trump's Palm Beach golf course with a rifle in the predawn hours of Sept. 15.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
Separately on Wednesday, the Albuquerque Police Department announced murder charges against three teenagers — including two juveniles — in the July 2 shooting death of a homeless man in Albuquerque who was chased from a bus stop in the predawn hours.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predawn
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Anthony Wood, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2025
An aggravating predawn departure was the only option.
—Denise Snodell, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
Prosecutors allege that after planning his attack for months, Routh hid in the bushes of Trump's Palm Beach golf course with a rifle in the predawn hours of Sept. 15.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
Separately on Wednesday, the Albuquerque Police Department announced murder charges against three teenagers — including two juveniles — in the July 2 shooting death of a homeless man in Albuquerque who was chased from a bus stop in the predawn hours.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predawn
Cite this Entry
“Predawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predawn. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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