Meaning & use
evening
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The part of the day that comes after the afternoon and ends when night begins or when people go to bed.
Grammar: Usually with in: in the evening. A particular one takes an or the: a quiet evening.
Patterns
- in the evening
- on Monday evening
- this evening
We usually eat dinner together in the evening.
I'll call you this evening after work.
The air gets cooler as evening comes.
nouncountable
An event or occasion that takes place during that part of the day, or the time spent doing a particular activity then.
Grammar: Countable, usually with a describing word: a musical evening.
Patterns
- an evening of something
The school organized an evening of poetry and music.
We had a lovely evening with old friends.
Their wedding was a magical evening.
nounsingularliteraryfigurative
A final period of a life, era, or process, when it is nearing its end.
Grammar: Used with the and of: the evening of his life.
Patterns
- the evening of something
He spent the evening of his life painting by the sea.
The empire was in the evening of its power.
In the evening of her career, she began to teach.
Word forms
| plural | evenings |
|---|
Common combinations
- in the evening
- I like to go for a walk in the evening.
- early evening
- The train arrives in the early evening.
- Friday evening
- We have a book club on Friday evening.
- evening meal
- The evening meal is served at seven.
- spend an evening
- We spent the evening playing board games.
- good evening
- Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dusk
- Dusk is the short, dim stretch of time just before dark, while evening covers several hours.
- nightfall
- Nightfall names the moment darkness arrives, not the whole period.
- twilight
- Twilight is the soft light between sunset and dark and is more poetic than evening.
- night
- Night is the dark hours and often the sleeping period, whereas evening can start while it is still light.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: evening or eve? evening or night?
evening vs eve
Eve is the evening or day before a holiday or event, such as New Year's Eve, not a general word for the evening.
evening vs night
People say good evening when arriving or greeting, but good night when leaving or going to bed.
Practice
Which sentence uses the correct preposition?
Choose one answer.
We say in the evening for a general time of day. On is used with a named day (on Friday evening), and at is used with night but not evening.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “evening”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.