daylight

noun

day·​light ˈdā-ˌlīt How to pronounce daylight (audio)
Synonyms of daylightnext
1
: the light of day
2
: daytime
3
: dawn
4
a
: knowledge or understanding of something that has been obscure
began to see daylight on the problem
b
: the quality or state of being open : openness
5
daylights plural
a
: consciousness
b
: mental soundness or stability : wits
scared the daylights out of him
6
: a perceptible space, gap, or difference
denied there was any daylight between the two governments' positions

Synonyms of daylight

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of daylight in a Sentence

Open up the curtains and let some daylight into the room. As daylight fades into darkness, everyone returns to their homes. For pictures taken in daylight, use a different film. We could see daylight through the cracks in the wall. The accident happened just after daylight. They said there was no daylight between the two governments' positions.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The attacks stretched into daylight hours, and Tkachenko urged residents to stay in safe locations and heed air raid alerts. — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Humidity is expected to stay high throughout the daylight hours. — Steven Sosna, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 Louisiana was a warehouse with 122 three-tier bunk beds, a permanently wet floor and no daylight. — Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 Anywhere people go, deer are going to be leery moving during daylight. — Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for daylight

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of daylight was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing daylight

Rhymes for daylight

See All Rhymes for daylight

Browse Nearby Words

Day-Lewis
daylight
daylight between
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Daylight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daylight. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

daylight

noun
day·​light ˈdā-ˌlīt How to pronounce daylight (audio)
1
: the light of day
2
: daytime
3
: dawn entry 2 sense 1
4
: knowledge or understanding of something that has been unclear
began to see daylight on the problem
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All