Meaning & use
at noon
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UK/ət ˈnuːn/
US/æt ˈnuːn/
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
At twelve o'clock in the middle of the day.
Grammar: Works as an adverbial of time: We meet at noon. No article is needed.
Patterns
- at noon today
- at noon on Friday
The meeting starts at noon, so please arrive a little early.
Shops in the village close at noon on Saturdays.
We always eat lunch at noon.
Common combinations
- at noon sharp
- Be at the station at noon sharp.
- at noon tomorrow
- The package should arrive at noon tomorrow.
- at noon on Monday
- The deadline is at noon on Monday.
- around noon
- I will call you around noon.
- by noon
- Please send the report by noon.
Synonyms and how they differ
- at midday
- At midday is common in British English, while at noon is more usual in American English.
- at twelve o'clock
- At twelve o'clock is more explicit and sounds more ordinary, whereas at noon is shorter and a little more formal.
- at 12 p.m.
- At 12 p.m. is used in writing and schedules, but at noon avoids any doubt about day or night.
Opposites
at midnight
Word family
Commonly confused: at noon or at midnight?
at noon vs at midnight
At midnight is twelve o'clock at night, the opposite end of the day from at noon.
Practice
The restaurant opens ____ on weekdays, so you can have an early lunch.
Choose one answer.
Times of day like noon take the preposition at. On and in are the wrong prepositions, and by the noon is not idiomatic.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “at noon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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