dawn on
phrasal verb
dawned on; dawning on; dawns on
: to begin to be understood or realized by (someone) for the first time
The solution finally dawned on him.
It suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't eaten all day.
It began to dawn on her that she was lost.
Examples of dawn on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In New York, Tim Healy drove two hours from his home in Queens before dawn on June 1, after hearing about the rare sighting of a flamingo in East Hampton on Long Island.
—
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 9 June 2024
One hour before dawn on March 19, law-enforcement officers in Little Rock, Ark., broke into a home to execute a search warrant.
—Patrick Jaicomo, National Review, 15 June 2024
The best time of night to see the 2024 Lyrid meteor shower peak will be the late evening of April 21 through dawn on April 22, according to EarthSky.org.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
This reality is already starting to dawn on American and British policymakers, who are realizing that China could use chips inside smart devices to spy on or even control smart cars, emergency response systems, and everyday consumer electronics.
—Sihao Huang, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2023
Before dawn on Friday, police in riot gear started breaking down tents and arresting students who had been refusing to leave.
—Tovia Smith, NPR, 10 May 2024
After a two-week trial, a federal jury in November found Boylan committed gross negligence in the deaths of the 33 passengers and one crew member who were trapped in a windowless bunk room when the boat caught fire before dawn on Sept. 2, 2019 off Santa Cruz Island.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
A bit of context: Just before dawn on the seventeenth, dozens of students had fanned out across the east lawn to demand that the university curtail investments in companies with ties to Israel.
—Nina Berman, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
The Lyrid meteor shower will peak in 2024 starting late Sunday night on April 21 and last through dawn on Monday April 22.
—USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 9 June 2024
One hour before dawn on March 19, law-enforcement officers in Little Rock, Ark., broke into a home to execute a search warrant.
—Patrick Jaicomo, National Review, 15 June 2024
The best time of night to see the 2024 Lyrid meteor shower peak will be the late evening of April 21 through dawn on April 22, according to EarthSky.org.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
This reality is already starting to dawn on American and British policymakers, who are realizing that China could use chips inside smart devices to spy on or even control smart cars, emergency response systems, and everyday consumer electronics.
—Sihao Huang, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2023
Before dawn on Friday, police in riot gear started breaking down tents and arresting students who had been refusing to leave.
—Tovia Smith, NPR, 10 May 2024
After a two-week trial, a federal jury in November found Boylan committed gross negligence in the deaths of the 33 passengers and one crew member who were trapped in a windowless bunk room when the boat caught fire before dawn on Sept. 2, 2019 off Santa Cruz Island.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
A bit of context: Just before dawn on the seventeenth, dozens of students had fanned out across the east lawn to demand that the university curtail investments in companies with ties to Israel.
—Nina Berman, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
The Lyrid meteor shower will peak in 2024 starting late Sunday night on April 21 and last through dawn on Monday April 22.
—USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dawn on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dawn on
Cite this Entry
“Dawn on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawn%20on. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share