break of day
4
1.0
- noun
- /breɪk əv deɪ/
:
alba
- The birds begin to sing at the break of day.
Examples
-
They fall on the empty steps till the break of day.
Academic text (1990) -
Momma once told me that she and Daddy named me Dawn because I was born at the break of day.
Fiction book (1990) -
I chance to see a break of day.
-
Here will I rest me till the break of day.
-
Be gone by break of day!
-
Just about the break of day.
Fiction book (1991) -
The country is flat and open, with fields, trees, a house farther off, and the break of day in the distance.
Fiction book (1994) -
And lovers awake at break of day.
-
When rescue came at break of day to the hollow where they lay, the faithful dog had passed away.
Fiction book (2001) -
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be overthrown; God shall help her at the break of day.
Blog text (14)
Synonyms
386
1.0
The first light in the sky before the sun rises
220
1.0
The time in the morning when the sun comes up and day begins
34
1.7
The time in the morning when the sky starts to get bright
29
1.0
The time in the early morning when light first appears in the sky
19
3.2
Very early in the morning when the sun first appears
14
3.7
The time when the first light appears in the morning
13
1.0
The time in the morning when the sun first appears above the horizon
1
1.4
The early part of the morning when people begin daily activities
1
9.1
The time very early in the morning when light first appears
1
9.9
First light in the morning when the sky begins to get bright
1
1.9
The first light of morning when the sun begins to appear
Very early morning when the first light comes
The first light of day when the sky begins to brighten
Soft pale light that appears in the sky just before sunrise
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'break' in the sense of a beginning or 'breaking' with 'day' (the day beginning), so the meaning 'dawn' or 'daybreak' is directly derivable from the constituents. This composition follows a common cross-linguistic pattern (cf. 'daybreak') and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the words.
Etymology
The expression break of day comes from the picture of night being broken by the first light of day. The word break suggests something opening to let the light in, so the phrase means 'dawn', the time when the first light appears.