often attributive
1
a
: the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night produced by diffusion of sunlight through the atmosphere and its dust
especially
: such light immediately following sunset
b
: a time of twilight
2
a
: an intermediate state that is not clearly defined
… lived in the twilight of neutrality …—
Newsweek
Newsweek
b
: a period of decline
Examples of twilight in a Sentence
The sun set and twilight fell.
stumbled around the twilight of the shuttered room, unable to see where she was going
Recent Examples on the Web
During the final week of March, Venus began setting after the end of astronomical twilight, that is, in a completely dark sky, a circumstance that will persist until late August.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2026
By late next week, a small comet, fresh off a harrowingly close encounter with the Sun, could emerge into the evening twilight and become easily visible in the hour after sunset, sporting a thin, straight tail.
—Tony Hoffman, PC Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Schools and workplaces open at night, construction sites buzz in the small hours under massive floodlights, and outdoor recreation takes place in the twilights of dawn and dusk.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
During these Venus cycles, the planet shines brightly at twilight and is usually the most noticeable point of light in the sky in the western horizon.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for twilight
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joe Rao, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2026
By late next week, a small comet, fresh off a harrowingly close encounter with the Sun, could emerge into the evening twilight and become easily visible in the hour after sunset, sporting a thin, straight tail.
—Tony Hoffman, PC Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Schools and workplaces open at night, construction sites buzz in the small hours under massive floodlights, and outdoor recreation takes place in the twilights of dawn and dusk.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
During these Venus cycles, the planet shines brightly at twilight and is usually the most noticeable point of light in the sky in the western horizon.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for twilight
Cite this Entry
“Twilight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twilight. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
twilight
noun
twi·light
ˈtwī-ˌlīt 
: the period or the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
