at dawn vs in the dawn

Both "at dawn" and "in the dawn" are correct, but "at dawn" is the more commonly used phrase in English. They both refer to the time of day when the sun rises, but "at dawn" is the preferred preposition to use in this context.

Last updated: April 07, 2024 • 1620 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"at dawn"

Use "at dawn" to refer to the time of day when the sun rises. It indicates a specific point in time early in the morning.

Examples:

The birds start singing at dawn.
We will meet at dawn to begin our journey.
The sky was painted in beautiful colors at dawn.

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Apparently, ventilation work begins at dawn.
Strigoi returning to nest at dawn.
The North Koreans attacked this position at dawn.
We stopped at an inn at dawn and we met those from Ferrara.
One day, they took father away at dawn.
Work during the day, dig a grave at dawn.
You may leave tomorrow at dawn, if you wish.
They'll probably move at dawn.
We start the bombardment at dawn and stop at 0430, sharp.
We leave for the Holy Land at dawn.
Sir, we can go in there tomorrow at dawn.
We'll fight a duel at dawn.
I mean, tomorrow morning at dawn I'll be leaving.
Tomorrow at dawn, we take the pass and march on.
It's the thunderstorm that comes at dawn.
Madeleine has come to him at dawn.
Salazar and Almonacid, go to look for water tomorrow at dawn.
It's getting late and we must get up at dawn.
A British paratroop regiment is staging to hit the field at dawn.
The world is going to end tomorrow at dawn.

Alternatives:

at sunrise
early in the morning
at daybreak
in the morning light
as the sun rises

This phrase is correct but less commonly used in English.

"in the dawn"

While "in the dawn" is grammatically correct, it is less common in everyday English usage. It can still be used to refer to the time of day when the sun rises, but "at dawn" is more natural and preferred.

Examples:

The world is peaceful in the dawn of a new day.
In the dawn, the city slowly wakes up.
She found solace in the quiet of the dawn.

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Somewheres... back in the dawn of time... this district had itself a civic dilemma of epic proportion.
I have just sent for a messenger to take this to you in the dawn.
It seems to go back in the dawn of time.
"The truth is in the dawn."
23:1.3 (256.5) These solitary spirits came forth in the dawn of time as full-fledged and perfectly endowed spirit beings.
We are taught that, in the dawn of time, this experiential mind was bestowed upon the Supreme by the Infinite Spirit, and we conjecture that certain features of the phenomenon of reflectivity can be accounted for only by postulating the activity of the Supreme Mind.
The melody of the oriental night dies in the dawn.
Then, for an instant, the sight of the mountains in the dawn light... got his hopes back up.
From Kutaisi to Svaneti Our plane arrives in the dawn at Kutaisi.
Voices like songs that are heard in the dawn
In the extremities of the Earth, in the white sanctums, the animals live still far from the men, like in the dawn of the world.
Even the curator writes: "The artists in this exhibition live in the present [...];in the dawn of an age that is completely reshaping the relationship between avant-garde and mass culture, professional and amateur".
Other parts of the world find no such gift beading the ground in the dawn, and residents of those parts that are fortunate in this regard must rise early and scramble if they are to collect any manna at all.
It is in the dawn, in that space and time, where there are those who are already there and those who have barely arrived.
We leave on 9 May from Budapest with the low-cost Wizzair flight to Kutaisi, and come back on 17 May in the dawn.
A 10, 000-meter lake shore guides a perfect jogging path, pure and fresh in the dawn, delicate in the midday, and gorgeous in the dusk.
"The truth is in the dawn."
media - the entertainment industry (she brings the rain) says it's drowning and calls us (in the dawn of the silvery day) pirates (clouds seem to melt away)
In the dawn of our history, we men of Rome were strong and fierce but also uncouth and solitary creatures.
In the dawn when nothing is awake

Alternatives:

at dawn
at sunrise
early in the morning
at daybreak
in the morning light

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at dawn vs in the dawn

"at dawn"

"in the dawn"

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