Meaning & use
daylight
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The natural light from the sun during the day.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'daylight', not 'a daylight' or 'daylights' for this sense.
Patterns
- in daylight
- by daylight
- natural daylight
- daylight comes
The colors look different in natural daylight.
We could see the mountains clearly in the daylight.
Try to take the photo in daylight, not at night.
noununcountable
The time of day when it is light, or the hours between sunrise and sunset.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used with 'during' or 'before'.
Patterns
- during daylight
- before daylight
- daylight hours
- waste daylight
We have about twelve hours of daylight in summer.
The journey is easier during daylight.
They set off before daylight to avoid the heat.
nounfixed phrasefigurative
Used in the phrase 'in broad daylight' to mean openly, when it is fully light and people can see.
Grammar: Always in the phrase 'in broad daylight'.
Patterns
- in broad daylight
The robbery happened in broad daylight.
He was attacked in broad daylight on a busy street.
Common combinations
- in broad daylight
- The theft took place in broad daylight.
- natural daylight
- The room is lit by natural daylight.
- daylight hours
- Most animals are active during daylight hours.
- before daylight
- We left before daylight.
- daylight saving time
- Daylight saving time begins in March.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sunlight
- Sunlight is the direct light of the sun; daylight is the general light of day, which may be indirect or diffuse.
- daytime
- Daytime is the period of the day when it is light; daylight is the light itself or the hours of light.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: daylight or daylight saving time?
daylight vs daylight saving time
This is the practice of moving clocks forward in summer, not the light itself.
Practice
The bank was robbed ______ on a busy Monday morning.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase 'in broad daylight' emphasizes that something happened openly when it was fully light. 'In daylight' is possible but does not carry the same emphasis.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “daylight”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.