predawn

predawn — adjective

1. happening in the short period before sunrise, when the sky is still dark and day

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

happening in the short period before sunrise, when the sky is still dark and daylight has not started yet

Example

Police began the predawn raid while most of the apartment block slept.

collocation: predawn raid

Lena caught a predawn airport shuttle while Taitung's streets were still dark.

predawn + travel noun

Common collocations
  • predawn raid
  • predawn bus
  • predawn chill
  • predawn darkness
  • predawn hours
  • predawn quiet
Synonyms
  • before-sunrise

    plain descriptive phrase; less compact and less dictionary-like in style

  • pre-sunrise

    close in meaning, but more technical and less common in everyday writing

  • early-morning

    broader; can include time after the sun has already risen

Grammar Patterns

predawn + noun

Usage Note

Usually comes before a noun, especially with words for weather, travel, or sudden activity such as raid, bus, chill, or darkness. If the sun is already up, learners usually choose early-morning or morning instead.

Common Mistakes

We enjoyed the predawn sun on the beach.
We enjoyed the sunrise on the beach.' / 'We enjoyed the early-morning sun on the beach.
once the sun is visible, the time is no longer predawn.

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For adjective/1, predawn is a compact written word for the dark period before sunrise. Before-sunrise expresses almost the same idea, but it sounds more explanatory because it is a phrase rather than a fixed dictionary word. Pre-sunrise is also close, though it appears more often in technical, weather, or photography contexts. Early-morning is broader and can include time after the sun has already come up, so it is not exact when darkness still remains. Nighttime is much wider still and can mean any hour after dark, not specifically the short stretch before day begins. Say predawn raid or predawn chill when you want a concise, slightly formal description of something happening before first light.

before-sunrisepre-sunriseearly-morningnighttime

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • predawn raid
  • predawn darkness
  • predawn hours
  • predawn quiet

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishEnglish

Predawn is a modern English compound built from pre-, a prefix meaning 'before', and dawn, the first light of day. Together they describe the short stretch of time just before sunrise.