nightfall

nightfall — noun

1. the daily moment when the sky grows dark and daylight ends

1.nounB1
Definition

the daily moment when the sky grows dark and daylight ends

Example

The park gates close at nightfall, so Mei and her friends had to leave.

collocation: at nightfall

By nightfall, Ravi's hiking group had safely reached the mountain shelter.

collocation: by nightfall

Common collocations
  • at nightfall
  • by nightfall
  • before nightfall
  • after nightfall
  • until nightfall
  • nightfall approached
  • nightfall descended
Synonyms
  • dusk

    the closest synonym, often interchangeable but more common in everyday speech

  • twilight

    covers a broader period from sunset to full dark and often carries a poetic or scientific tone

  • sundown

    more common in American English; emphasizes the sun's disappearance rather than the general darkening

Antonyms
  • dawn

    the morning equivalent when light first appears

  • daybreak

    another morning equivalent, same meaning as dawn

Grammar Patterns

nightfall — typically used with at, by, or before

Usage Note

Typically used with the prepositions at, by, or before. Less common in everyday conversation than dusk or evening; considered slightly more formal or literary in tone.

Common Mistakes

We arrived at nightfall and stayed until nightfall ended the next morning.
We arrived at nightfall and stayed until the next morning.
nightfall refers only to the brief evening transition, not the entire night.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Nightfall, dusk, twilight, and sundown all describe the period when day turns to night, but they differ slightly in tone and scope. Dusk is the most neutral and commonly used synonym, referring specifically to the darker part of twilight just before night begins. Twilight is broader — it covers both the lighter period after sunset and the darker phase before night — and often carries a literary or scientific feel. Sundown is a more American variant that foregrounds the moment the sun disappears behind the horizon rather than the general darkening of the sky. Night differs from all of them: it refers to the entire period of darkness after nightfall, not just the transition. For example, 'We set up camp at dusk' and 'We set up camp at nightfall' are both natural, but 'We set up camp at night' sounds odd because it suggests doing so in full darkness.

dusk ↗twilight ↗sundownnight ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • at nightfall
  • by nightfall
  • before nightfall
  • after nightfall
  • until nightfall
  • nightfall approached
  • nightfall descended

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Nightfall is a compound word formed from Old English niht ('night') and feallan ('to fall'), literally meaning 'the falling of night.' The idea of night 'falling' appears across Germanic languages, and the English compound nightfall has been recorded since the early 1600s to describe the moment darkness descends at the end of day.