Meaning & use
dawned
Last updated
Began to grow light in the morning, or became gradually apparent or understood.
See it in a sentence
The day dawned bright and clear after a week of rain.
It slowly dawned on him that he had left his passport at home.
A note on using this word
The figurative sense "it dawned on me," meaning a realization gradually became clear, is now at least as common as the literal meaning about sunrise.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dawned”, then compare your use with the examples above.