night

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night

darkness between sunset and sunrise

Not to be confused with:

knight – a man awarded a nonhereditary title (Sir) by a sovereign in recognition of merit; a man devoted to the service of a woman

night

(nīt)

a. The period between sunset and sunrise, especially the hours of darkness.

b. This period considered as a unit of time: for two nights running.

c. This period considered from its conditions: a rainy night.

2. The period between dusk and midnight of a given day: either late Thursday night or early Friday morning.

a. The period between evening and bedtime.

b. This period considered from its activities: a night at the opera.

c. This period set aside for a specific purpose: Parents' Night at school.

a. The period between bedtime and morning: spent the night at a motel.

b. One's sleep during this period: had a restless night.

5. Nightfall: worked from morning to night.

6. Darkness: vanished into the night.

a. A time or condition of gloom, obscurity, ignorance, or despair: "In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning" (F. Scott Fitzgerald).

b. A time or condition marked by absence of moral or ethical values: "He never would have let us go untroubled into the night of private greed" (Anthony Lewis).

adj.

1. Of or relating to the night: the night air.

2. Intended for use at night: a night light.

3. Working during the night: the night nurse.

4. Active chiefly at night: night prowlers.

5. Occurring after dark: night baseball.

[Middle English, from Old English niht; see nek^w-t- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

night

(naɪt)

1. the period of darkness each 24 hours between sunset and sunrise, as distinct from day

2. (modifier) of, occurring, working, etc, at night: a night nurse.

3. the occurrence of this period considered as a unit: four nights later they left.

4. the period between sunset and retiring to bed; evening

5. the time between bedtime and morning: she spent the night alone.

6. (Physical Geography) the weather conditions of the night: a clear night.

7. the activity or experience of a person during a night

8. (sometimes capital) any evening designated for a special observance or function

9. nightfall or dusk

10. a state or period of gloom, ignorance, etc

11. make a night of it to go out and celebrate for most of the night

12. night and day continually: that baby cries night and day.

[Old English niht; compare Dutch nacht, Latin nox, Greek nux]

ˈnightless adj

ˈnightˌlike adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

night

(naɪt)

n.

1. the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

2. the beginning of this period; nightfall.

3. the darkness of night; the dark.

4. a condition or time of obscurity, ignorance, sinfulness, misfortune, etc.

5. (sometimes cap.) an evening used or set aside for a particular event or purpose.

adj.

6. of or pertaining to night: the night hours.

7. occurring or seen at night: a night spectacle.

8. used or designed to be used at night.

9. active or working at night: night people.

Idioms:

night and day, unceasingly; continually.

[before 900; Middle English; Old English niht, neaht, c. Old Frisian nacht, Old Saxon, Old High German naht (German Nacht), Old Norse nātt, Gothic nahts, Latin nox (s. noct-), Greek nýx (s. nykt-)]

Night

achluphobia

an abnormal fear of darkness. Also called scotophobia.

noctimania

an abnormal love of the night.

noctivagation

the act of walking or wandering at night. — noctivagant, noctivagous, adj.

nyctalopia

night-blindness.

sciophobia

an abnormal fear of shadows.

scotophobia

achluphobia.

Night

night

1. 'night' and 'at night'

Night is the period during each twenty-four hours when it is dark. If something happens regularly during this period, you say that it happens at night.

The doors were kept closed at night.

I used to lie awake at night, listening to the rain.

A night is one of these periods of darkness. You usually refer to a particular period as the night.

He went to a hotel and spent the night there.

I got a phone call in the middle of the night.

2. the previous night

If something happened during the night before the present day, you say that it happened in the night, during the night, or last night.

I didn't hear Sheila in the night.

I had the strangest dream last night.

You can also say that a situation existed last night.

I didn't manage to sleep much last night.

Last night is also used for saying that something happened during the previous evening.

I met your husband last night.

If you are talking about a day in the past and you want to say that something happened the night before that day, you say that it happened in the night, during the night, or the previous night.

His father had died in the night.

This was the hotel where they had stayed the previous night.

3. exact times

If you want to make it clear that you are talking about a particular time in the early part of the night rather than the morning, you add at night.

This took place at eleven o'clock at night on our second day.

However, if you are talking about a time after midnight and you want to make it clear that you are talking about the night and not the afternoon, you say in the morning.

It was five o'clock in the morning.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	night - the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside nighttime, dark period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period" 24-hour interval, day, mean solar day, solar day, twenty-four hour period, twenty-four hours - time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis; "two days later they left"; "they put on two performances every day"; "there are 30,000 passengers per day" weeknight - any night of the week except Saturday or Sunday evening - the early part of night (from dinner until bedtime) spent in a special way; "an evening at the opera" late-night hour - the latter part of night midnight - 12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night; "young children should not be allowed to stay up until midnight" small hours - the hours just after midnight lights-out - a prescribed bedtime wedding night - the night after the wedding when bride and groom sleep together daylight, daytime, day - the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside; "the dawn turned night into day"; "it is easier to make the repairs in the daytime"
	2.	night - a period of ignorance or backwardness or gloom period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period"
	3.	night - the period spent sleeping; "I had a restless night" period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period"
	4.	night - the dark part of the diurnal cycle considered a time unit; "three nights later he collapsed" time unit, unit of time - a unit for measuring time periods
	5.	night - darkness; "it vanished into the night" dark, darkness - absence of light or illumination
	6.	night - a shortening of nightfall; "they worked from morning to night" crepuscle, crepuscule, dusk, evenfall, gloam, gloaming, nightfall, twilight, fall - the time of day immediately following sunset; "he loved the twilight"; "they finished before the fall of night"
	7.	night - the time between sunset and midnight; "he watched television every night" period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period"
	8.	Night - Roman goddess of night; daughter of Erebus; counterpart of Greek Nyx Nox

night

noun darkness, dark, night-time, dead of night, night watches, hours of darkness We spent the night at his house. Finally night fell.

night and day constantly, all the time, continually, continuously, endlessly, incessantly, ceaselessly, interminably, unremittingly, twenty-four-seven (informal), day in, day out He was at my door night and day, demanding attention.

Related words
adjective nocturnal
like noctimania
fear nyctophobia

Quotations
"Night hath a thousand eyes" [John Lyly Maides Metamorphose]
"The night has a thousand eyes,"
"And the day but one" [F.W. Bourdillon Light]
"Night is the half of life, and the better half" [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre]
"the huge and thoughtful night" [Walt Whitman When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd]
"sable-vested night, eldest of things" [John Milton Paradise Lost]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

night

noun

The period of time between sunset and sunrise:

nighttime.

adjective

Of or occurring during the night:

nightly, nocturnal.

Translations

ظَلام، لَيْلليللَيلٌلَيْل، لَيْلَهليلة

нощ

nocnočnívečer

natskumringaftenmørke

Nacht Dunkelheit One-Night-Stand Übernachtung Abend

νύχτα

nokto

noche oscuridad tarde

öö

yöyöuniiltapimeäpimeys

nuit nuitée obscurité soirée noirceur

noć

éjszakaéjszakázásestemegszállássötétség

nóttnótt; kvöld

notte oscurità serata fuori casa belladonna ieri sera

夜日暮れ闇一晩一泊

밤

nox

naktisvakarinė mokyklabaisus sapnaskasnaktkasnaktinis

naktstumsavakars

nacht

natt skumring aften

noc

noite trevas diária escuridão

întunericnoapte

ночь ночной

nocvečer

nočtemavečer

noćноћ

natt

usiku

กลางคืน

gecegece vaktiakşam

ніч

đêmtối

夜晚夜

night

[naɪt]

A. N

1. (= time of day) → noche f
it is night (liter) → es de noche
Monday night → el lunes por la noche
a Beethoven night → un concierto dedicado a Beethoven
all night (long) → toda la noche
at night → por la noche, de noche
11 o'clock at night → las 11 de la noche
last thing at night → lo último antes de acostarse
to stay up late at night → trasnochar
to have a bad night → dormir mal, pasar una mala noche
the night before the ceremony → la víspera de la ceremonia
by night → de noche, por la noche
night and day → noche y día
to have an early night → acostarse temprano
good night! → ¡buenas noches!
in the night → durante la noche
last night (= late) → anoche; (= in the evening) → ayer por la tarde
the night before last → anteanoche
to have a late night → acostarse muy tarde
you've had too many late nights → llevas muchos días acostándote muy tarde
we decided to make a night of it and go to a club afterwards → decidimos prolongar la velada e irnos a una discoteca después
to have a night out → salir por la noche
I can't sleep nights (US) → no puedo dormir la noche
to spend the night → pasar la noche
to spend the night together (euph) (= to have sex) → pasar la noche juntos
tomorrow night → mañana por la noche
to work nights → trabajar de noche

2. (Theat)
first night → estreno m
last night → última representación f

B. CPD night bird N → ave f nocturna
night blindness N → ceguera f nocturna
night fighter N → caza m nocturno, cazabombardero m nocturno
night nurse N → enfermera f de noche
night owl N (fig) → ave f nocturna
night porter N → guarda m nocturno
night safe N → caja f de seguridad nocturna
night school N → escuela f nocturna
night shift N → turno m nocturno, turno m de noche
night stand N (US) = night table night storage heater N → acumulador m eléctrico nocturno
night table N → mesita f de noche
night vision N → visión f nocturna
see also night-vision night watch N (= shift) → turno m de noche (Hist) → ronda f nocturna; (= individual) = night watchman night watchman N (in factory) → vigilante m nocturno; (in street) → sereno m
night work N → trabajo m nocturno

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

night

[ˈnaɪt]

(= opposite of day) → nuit f
I want a single room for two nights → Je veux une chambre à un lit pour deux nuits.
Night fell → La nuit est tombée.
He didn't sleep a wink all night → Il n'a pas fermé l'œil de la nuit.
The fighting continued all night → Les combats se sont poursuivis toute la nuit.
good night! → bonne nuit!
last night → la nuit dernière
I couldn't sleep last night → Je n'ai pas dormi la nuit dernière.
at night → la nuit
The doors are locked at night → Les portes sont fermées la nuit.
by night → de nuit
in the night → pendant la nuit
during the night → pendant la nuit
night and day → nuit et jour
day and night → jour et nuit
to have an early night → se coucher tôt
to have a late night → se coucher tard
to work nights → travailler de nuit
My mother works nights → Ma mère travaille de nuit.

(= evening) → soir m
I went out on Saturday night → Je suis sorti samedi soir.
I didn't get a dance all night → Je n'ai pas dansé de toute la soirée.
last night → hier soir
So whose party were you at last night? → Chez qui étiez-vous hier soir ?
at night → le soir
He was going to college at night, in order to become an accountant → Il prenait des cours du soir pour devenir comptable.
It's eleven o'clock at night in Moscow → Il est onze heures du soir à Moscou.
the night before adv → la veille au soir
He had drunk too much the night before → Il avait trop bu la veille au soir.; prep → la veille de
the night before the election → la veille des élections
the night before last → avant-hier soir big night, election night, night out

modif [nurse, flight] → de nuitnight-bird [ˈnaɪtbɜː^rd] n

(= bird) → oiseau m nocturne

(= person) → couche-tard m inv, noctambule mf

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

night

→ Nacht f; (= evening) → Abend m; night is falling → die Nacht bricht herein; I saw him last night → ich habe ihn gestern Abend gesehen; I’ll see him tomorrow night → ich treffe ihn morgen Abend; I stayed with them last night → ich habe heute or letzte Nacht bei ihnen übernachtet; to stay four nights with somebody → vier Nächte lang bei jdm bleiben; I’ll stay with them tomorrow night → ich übernachte morgen Nacht bei ihnen; to look for somewhere to stay the night → eine Übernachtungsmöglichkeit suchen; on Friday night → Freitagabend/-nacht; on the night of (Saturday) the 11th → am (Samstag dem) 11. nachts; 11 o’clock at night → 11 Uhr nachts; 6 o’clock at night → 6 Uhr abends; she works at night → sie arbeitet nachts; to travel by night → nachts reisen; to see Paris by night → Paris bei Nacht sehen; far into the night → bis spät in die Nacht, bis in die späte Nacht; in/during the night → in/während der Nacht; the night before they were … → am Abend/die Nacht zuvor waren sie …; the night before last they were … → vorgestern Abend/vorletzte Nacht waren sie …; to spend the night at a hotel → in einem Hotel übernachten; to have a good/bad night or night’s sleep → gut/schlecht schlafen; (patient also) → eine gute/schlechte Nacht haben; I need a good night’s sleep → ich muss mal wieder ordentlich schlafen; night-night! (inf) → gut Nacht! (inf); night after night → jede Nacht, Nacht um Nacht (geh); all night (long) → die ganze Nacht; night and day (lit, fig) → Tag und Nacht; to have a night out → (abends) ausgehen; a night out with the lads (Brit) or boys → ein Abend mit den Kumpeln; to make a night of it → durchmachen (inf); to have a late/an early night → spät/früh ins Bett kommen, spät/früh schlafen gehen; too many late nights! → zu wenig Schlaf!; after your early night → nachdem du so früh schlafen gegangen bist; to work nights → nachts arbeiten; to be on nights → Nachtdienst haben; (shift worker) → Nachtschicht haben; the dark night of the soul (fig) → die dunkle Nacht der Seele

(Theat) → Abend m; the last three nights of … → die letzten drei Abende von …; a Mozart night → ein Mozartabend m ? first night

adv nights (esp US) → nachts

night

in cpds → Nacht-;

night bird

n → Nachtvogel m; (fig) → Nachteule f (inf), → Nachtschwärmer(in) m(f)

night blindness

n → Nachtblindheit f

nightcap

(= garment) → Nachtmütze f; (for woman) → Nachthaube f

(= drink) → Schlaftrunk m (inf)

nightclothes

pl → Nachtzeug nt, → Nachtwäsche f (esp Comm)

nightclub

n → Nachtlokal nt → or -klub m

night cream

n → Nachtcreme f

night depository

n → Nachttresor m

nightdress

n → Nachthemd nt

night duty

n → Nachtdienst m; to be on night → Nachtdienst haben

night editor

n → Nachtredakteur(in) m(f)

nightfall

n → Einbruch m → der Dunkelheit; at night → bei Einbruch der Dunkelheit

night fighter

n → Nachtjäger m

night flight

n → Nachtflug m

nightgown

n → Nachthemd nt

nighthawk

n (US) (lit) → Amerikanischer Ziegenmelker; (fig) → Nachtschwärmer(in) m(f)

night

nightjar

n → Ziegenmelker m, → Nachtschwalbe f

night leave

n (Mil) → Urlaub m → bis zum Wecken

night letter

n (US) → (zu billigem Tarif gesandtes) Nachttelegramm nt

nightlife

n → Nachtleben nt

night-light

(for child etc) → Nachtlicht nt

(for teapot etc) → Teelicht nt

nightlong

adj → sich über die ganze Nacht hinziehend; (= lasting several nights) → nächtelang; after their night vigil → nachdem sie die ganze Nacht gewacht hatten

night

night nurse

n → Nachtschwester f; (= man) → Nachtpfleger m

night owl

n (inf) → Nachteule f (inf)

night porter

n → Nachtportier m

night safe

n → Nachtsafe m

night school

n → Abendschule f

night

night shelter

n → Nachtquartier nt

night shift

n → Nachtschicht f; to be or work on night → Nachtschicht haben or arbeiten

nightshirt

n → (Herren)nachthemd nt

night sky

n → nächtlicher Himmel

nightspot

n → Nachtlokal nt

night stand

n (US) → Nachttisch m

night stick

n (US) → Schlagstock m

night-storage heater

n → Nachtspeicherofen m

night table

n (US) → Nachttisch m

night-time

n → Nacht f; at night → nachts; in the night → während der Nacht, nachts

adj attr → nächtlich; night temperature → Nachttemperatur f

night vision

n → Nachtsichtigkeit f

night-vision

adj → Nachtsicht-

night vision aid, night vision scope

n → Nachtsichtgerät nt

night watch

n → Nachtwache f

night watchman

n → Nachtwächter(in) m(f)

nightwear

n → Nachtzeug nt, → Nachtwäsche f (esp Comm)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

night

[naɪt]

1. n → notte f; (evening) → sera
good night! → buona notte!
at night → di notte, la notte
in the night, during the night → durante la notte
by night → di notte
last night → la notte scorsa, ieri notte, stanotte
Tuesday night → martedì notte, la notte di martedì, la notte fra martedì e mercoledì (evening) → martedì sera, la sera di martedì
the night before → la notte prima (evening) → la sera prima
the night before last → l'altro ieri notte (evening) → l'altro ieri sera
11 o'clock at night → le 11 di sera
the last 3 nights of (Theatre) → le 3 ultime serate or rappresentazioni di
to have a night out → uscire la sera
we had a lovely night out → abbiamo passato una bellissima serata fuori
to spend the night → passare la notte
I spent the night studying → ho passato la notte a studiare
to have a good/bad night → dormire bene/male
to have a late night → andare a letto tardi
he's working nights → fa il turno di notte

2. adj (work, nurse, train) → di notte
night flight → volo notturno

night

(nait) noun

1. the period from sunset to sunrise. We sleep at night; They talked all night (long); He travelled by night and rested during the day; The days were warm and the nights were cool; (also adjective) He is doing night work.

2. the time of darkness. In the Arctic in winter, night lasts for twenty-four hours out of twenty-four.

ˈnightly adjective, adverb

every night. a nightly news programme; He goes there nightly.

ˈnight-club noun

a club open at night for drinking, dancing, entertainment etc.

ˈnightdress, ˈnightgown noun

a garment for wearing in bed.

ˈnightfall noun

the beginning of night; dusk.

ˈnightmare noun

a frightening dream. I had a nightmare about being strangled.

ˈnightmarish adjective

ˈnight-school noun

(a place providing) educational classes held in the evenings for people who are at work during the day.

ˈnight shift

1. (a period of) work during the night. He's on (the) night shift this week.

2. the people who work during this period. We met the night shift leaving the factory.

ˈnight-time noun

the time when it is night. Owls are usually seen at night-time.

ˌnight-ˈwatchman noun

a person who looks after a building etc during the night.

night

→ لَيلٌ noc nat Nacht νύχτα noche yö nuit noć notte 夜 밤 nacht natt noc noite ночь natt กลางคืน gece đêm 夜晚

night

n. noche;

by ___ → de noche, por la noche;

Good ___ → Buenas noches;

last ___ → anoche;

___ before last → anteanoche.

night

adj nocturno; — terrors terrores nocturnos; n noche f at — en or por or durante la noche; last — anoche

References in classic literature ?

The skies they were ashen and sober; The leaves they were crisped and sere -- The leaves they were withering and sere; It was night in the lonesome October Of my most immemorial year: It was hard by the dim lake of Auber, In the misty mid region of Weir: -- It was down by the dank tarn of Auber, In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.

View in context

As he looked about and located it on the brow of the hill behind him, he noted the change that had come over the face of the night. The fog was gone; the stars and moon were out; even the wind had died down.

View in context

The red gleam o'er the mountains Goes wavering from sight, And the quiet moon enhances The loveliness of night.

View in context

"In order to take that train," said Colonel Levering, sitting in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, "you will have to remain nearly all night in Atlanta.

View in context

So much interest in the enterprise had been aroused, at home and abroad, by profuse advertising, that the whole accommodation of the building had been secured by travellers of all nations for the opening night. Henry only obtained one of the small rooms on the upper floor, by a lucky accident--the absence of the gentleman who had written to engage it.

View in context

The three worthies turned their faces towards The Boot, with the intention of passing the night in that place of rendezvous, and of seeking the repose they so much needed in the shelter of their old den; for now that the mischief and destruction they had purposed were achieved, and their prisoners were safely bestowed for the night, they began to be conscious of exhaustion, and to feel the wasting effects of the madness which had led to such deplorable results.

View in context

THAT night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

View in context

The adventure began with David's coming to me at the unwonted hour of six P.M., carrying what looked like a packet of sandwiches, but proved to be his requisites for the night done up in a neat paper parcel.

View in context

When I returned to my room, however, there were the open window and the litter on the floor to remind me of what had happened earlier in the night. Yet I was less disconcerted than you might suppose.

View in context

Hitherto, except during my night's anguish at the loss of the Time Machine, I had felt a sustaining hope of ultimate escape, but that hope was staggered by these new discoveries.

View in context

Day and night he spent out in the open fields, and only when it was very wet and stormy did he take refuge in a little hut on the edge of a big forest.

View in context

It was while gliding through these latter waters that one serene and moonlight night, when all the waves rolled by like scrolls of silver; and, by their soft, suffusing seethings, made what seemed a silvery silence, not a solitude: on such a silent night a silvery jet was seen far in advance of the white bubbles at the bow.