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sunup

sunup

13 1.0
The time in the morning when the sun first appears above the horizon
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌnˌʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : amanecer
  • We arrived at the beach just before sunup to watch the sunrise over the ocean.
  • sunup to sundown

This all takes place between sundown and sunup.

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Examples

  • The men, who had been there since sunup, left their labors to join their families.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • We're headed to Cassandra's at sunup.

  • "Why are you here before sunup?" Tom asked.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • And you have to be back before sunup.

  • The guards had removed his shirt before bringing him out, just after sunup on a cold October morning.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I waited for sunup, saw and heard about four deer before I could see enough to shoot.

    Blog text (25)
  • You meet me here tomorrow mornin', soon after sunup as you can, right here on this spot.

  • Women worked from sunup to sundown to try to provide for their families.

    Academic text (2005)
  • So one morning before sunup, I hiked to the valley to watch the trail again.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • We left soon after sunup and were on the mainland before night, driven by a spanking breeze.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

dawn
vssunup
386 1.0

The first light in the sky before the sun rises

denotes the sun's actual appearance above the horizon
sunrise
vssunup
220 1.0

The time in the morning when the sun comes up and day begins

is the same idea but is the shorter informal variant
first light
vssunup
34 1.7

The time in the morning when the sky starts to get bright

refers specifically to the sun becoming visible above the horizon
daybreak
vssunup
29 1.0

The time in the early morning when light first appears in the sky

refers to the actual sun becoming visible rather than the first light
crack of dawn
vssunup
  • Informal
19 3.2

Very early in the morning when the sun first appears

is the moment of sun appearance without stressing extreme earliness
dawning
vssunup
14 3.7

The time when the first light appears in the morning

is the specific moment the sun itself comes into view
break of day
vssunup
4 1.0

The first light of morning when the sun rises

focuses on the sun's arrival rather than the initial light
cockcrow
vssunup
  • Archaic
1 9.1

The time very early in the morning when light first appears

means the sun's visible arrival rather than an animal or light cue
1 1.9

The first light of morning when the sun begins to appear

describes the sun's rising moment, not just the early light
dayspring
vssunup
  • Archaic
1 9.9

First light in the morning when the sky begins to get bright

is the literal event of the sun appearing, not a poetic image
aurora
vssunup
  • Literature
8.6

The first light of day when the sky begins to brighten

is the plain daily event without poetic or literary tone

Antonyms

259 1.0

The time in the evening when the sun goes below the horizon and daylight fades

Surface Forms

sunup singular
sunups plural

Morphology

sunup = sun (transparent) = up + sun

The meaning 'sunrise' follows directly from 'sun' + 'up' (the sun rising), which is readily inferable by learners. [Postprocessing: moved 'up' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Sunup is made of sun and up, which together mean the time when the sun 'goes up' in the morning. So sunup means 'sunrise', the moment the day begins.