evening

1 of 2

noun

eve·​ning ˈēv-niŋ How to pronounce evening (audio)
Synonyms of eveningnext
often attributive
1
a
: the latter part and close of the day and early part of the night
b
chiefly Southern US and Midland US : afternoon
c
: the period from sunset or the evening meal to bedtime
2
: the latter portion
3
: the period of an evening's entertainment

evening

2 of 2

adjective

: suitable for formal or semiformal evening social occasions
evening dress
evening clothes

Synonyms of evening

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Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of evening in a Sentence

Noun We're going out to dinner this evening. He devotes his evenings to charity work. They left on the evening of July 26. We're looking forward to an evening at the theater. several fun-filled evenings of poker He met her in the evening of his life.
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.
Noun
The evening of the shoot, there was frequent hum of tourist helicopters circling the island, and a few party boats blasting music, which threatened to put a damper on the plans. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026 Page Six posted a video of the two on social media, showing them leaving the hotel and getting into a car early Friday evening. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
Adjective
The best times are evening or early morning, when the wasps aren’t active. — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Evening practice brings back high school memories for some Ducks. — Tyson Alger, OregonLive.com, 9 Aug. 2017 See All Example Sentences for evening

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English ǣfnung, from ǣfnian to grow toward evening, from ǣfen evening; akin to Old High German āband evening and perhaps to Greek epi on

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1782, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of evening was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing evening

Browse Nearby Words

even if
evening
evening campion
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Evening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evening. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

evening

noun
eve·​ning
ˈēv-niŋ
1
: the final part of the day and early part of the night
2
: a late part
the evening of life

More from Merriam-Webster on evening

Nglish: Translation of evening for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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