dawn

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Chronology

dawn1 /dɔːn $ dɒːn/ ●●○ noun [countable, uncountable]  1  TMCthe time at the beginning of the day when light first appears 黎明，破晓 SYN daybreak, → duskat dawn The boats set off at dawn. 天一亮船队就出发了。 When dawn broke (=the first light of the day appeared), we were still 50 miles from Calcutta. 破晓的时候，我们离加尔各答还有50英里。 I was up at the crack of dawn (=very early in the morning) to get the plane. 我一大早就起来赶飞机。 We worked from dawn to dusk (=through the whole day while it is light). 我们从早干到晚。 the cold light of dawn 清冷的晨曦 →4  See picture of 见图 dawn2  the dawn of civilization/time etc BEGINNINGthe time when something began or first appeared 文明的开端/宇宙初开等 People have been falling in love since the dawn of time. 亘古以来就有爱情。► see thesaurus at beginning3  a false dawn HOPEsomething that seems positive or hopeful but really is not 虚幻的希望 There was talk of share prices recovering, but that was just a false dawn. 有人说股价会回升，但那不过是镜花水月而已。

Examples from the Corpus

dawn• But even at 6: 30 at night, there can be a dawn.• The cowbird lays her egg at dawn.• One morning she rose at dawn and climbed Ballymacadoyle Hill, behind the fort.• Eck therefore had a whole night's steaming to put himself a hundred miles from the sinking before submerging at dawn.• Waking with a start, she lay in the grey half-light of dawn, wondering where she was.• It had been the hope which had kept her going through the dawn and early morning.• We talked almost until dawn.• There, we spent a night at a Yonchon inn and waited until dawn to make our getaway.at dawn• An ice storm at dawn paralyzed St. Louis traffic.dawn2 ●○○ verb [intransitive]  1  START TO HAPPEN, EXIST ETCif day or morning dawns, it begins 破晓，天亮 The morning dawned fresh and clear after the storm. 暴风雨过后，破晓时天朗气清。2  START TO HAPPEN, EXIST ETCif a period of time or situation dawns, it begins 〔某一时期或情形〕开始 The age of Darwin had dawned. 达尔文时代开始了。3  THINK something/HAVE A THOUGHTif a feeling or idea dawns, you have it for the first time 第一次有某种感觉[想法] It began to dawn that something was wrong. 于是开始想到什么地方出了差错。4 dawn on somebody phrasal verb REALIZEif a fact dawns on you, you realize it for the first time 开始明白〔某个事实〕，醒悟 The ghastly truth dawned on me. 我开始明白了可怕的真相。it dawns on somebody (that) It dawned on me that Jo had been right all along. 我开始明白乔一直都是对的。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

dawn• Monday dawned, as Mondays will, and it was back to the Soho Laundry.• As the Cold War dawned in 1949, Galvin was starting his military career.• Until it dawned on her that by postponing the decision she was making a decision.• It dawned on me that no one seemed to be idle.• Suddenly it dawned on Ramsay that this flag was considerably larger than that flown by the Regent.• Suddenly it dawned on Rose that he stopped by so frequently because he was attracted to her.• It is dawning on the rebels that they may have wider support than first realised.• I was afraid that if I appeared too eager, it might dawn on the woman she had made a terrible mistake.Origin dawn1 (1200-1300) daw “to dawn” ((10-19 centuries)), from Old English dagian; related to day

dawn1 noundawn2 verbChinese  

light when beginning the time at Corpus day first of the the

dawn

I

dawn¹ /dɔːn $ dɒːn/ noun [uncountable and countable]1. the time at the beginning of the day when light first appears
   SYN  daybreak ⇨ dusk
    at dawn
    The boats set off at dawn.
    When dawn broke (=the first light of the day appeared), we were still 50 miles from Calcutta.
    I was up at the crack of dawn (=very early in the morning) to get the plane.
    We worked from dawn to dusk (=through the whole day while it is light).
    the cold light of dawn
2. the dawn of civilization/time etc the time when something began or first appeared:
    People have been falling in love since the dawn of time.
3. a false dawn something that seems positive or hopeful but really is not:
    There was talk of share prices recovering, but that was just a false dawn.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ beginning the first part of something such as a story, event, or period of time: The beginning of the movie is very violent. | Let’s go back to the beginning.
   ▪ start the beginning of something, or the way something begins: Tomorrow marks the start of the presidential election campaign. | It was not a good start to the day. | The runners lined up for the start of the race.
   ▪ commencement formal the beginning of something – used especially in official contexts: the commencement of the academic year | the commencement of the contract
   ▪ origin the point from which something starts to exist: He wrote a book about the origins of the universe. | The tradition has its origins in medieval times.
   ▪ the onset of something the time when something bad begins, such as illness, old age, or cold weather: the onset of winter | An active lifestyle can delay the onset of many diseases common to aging.
   ▪ dawn literary the beginning of an important period of time in history: People have worshipped gods since the dawn of civilization.
   ▪ birth the beginning of something important that will change many people’s lives: the birth of democracy in South Africa | the birth of the environmental movement

II

dawn² verb [intransitive]
1. if day or morning dawns, it begins:
    The morning dawned fresh and clear after the storm.
2. if a period of time or situation dawns, it begins:
    The age of Darwin had dawned.
3. if a feeling or idea dawns, you have it for the first time:
    It began to dawn that something was wrong.
     
dawn on somebody phrasal verb
  if a fact dawns on you, you realize it for the first time:
    The ghastly truth dawned on me.
    It dawned on me that Jo had been right all along.