first light
33
1.7
- noun
- /fɜrst laɪt/
- We woke up and set out at first light to watch the sunrise.
- see first light
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Watch on YouTubeIt was that wonderful corpuscular hours where the shadows are still among us as the first light of day is coming.
- It was that wonderful corpuscular hours where the shadows are still among us as the first light of day is coming.
- But I just forget what time at first light we were up and out of there and we moved up that mountain all day.
Examples
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We make for Gondor at first light.
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The next morning, in the first light of dawn, St. Ed drove out of Las Vegas.
Fiction book (1993) -
You need to leave at first light, do you hear me?
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If we leave by first light, we'll make it by tomorrow.
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We have to be out on the field before first light.
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You must leave tomorrow at first light.
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The next morning, I was up at first light, and I went straight to the computer.
Fiction book (2000) -
At first light, leave for Bullet Farm with your tankers empty.
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Normally, he was up at first light and out milking the cow or doing the other chores.
Fiction book (1990) -
Daffodils and crocuses were blooming, the morning's first light spreading across the horizon, the temperature an unseasonable seventy degrees.
Fiction book (1999)
Synonyms
349
1.0
The first light in the sky before the sun rises
154
1.0
The time in the morning when the sun comes up and day begins
32
1.0
The time in the early morning when light first appears in the sky
20
3.2
Very early in the morning when the sun first appears
11
1.0
The time in the morning when the sun first appears above the horizon
6
1.0
The first light of morning when the sun rises
6
3.7
The time when the first light appears in the morning
2
1.4
The early part of the morning when people begin daily activities
1
8.6
The first light of day when the sky begins to brighten
1
1.9
The first light of morning when the sun begins to appear
1
3.9
Soft pale light that appears in the sky just before sunrise
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
9.5
Very early morning when the first light comes
How Early
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the time when light first appears' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'first' (earliest) + 'light' (brightness), so a learner who knows both words can infer 'first light' = dawn. This adjective+noun pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, making the expression immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase first light comes from the image of the very first light you see in the sky when the sun begins to rise. That's why people use it to mean 'dawn' or the early time to start an activity.