dawns

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of dawn.

   The mountain dawns were colder than she had expected.

   Over many winter dawns, the lake froze a little more each day.

   Note

   A plural that counts sunrises one by one. Of the noun's meanings, only the rising of the sun is countable, so the plural names separate daybreaks: cold mountain dawns, many winter dawns. The twilight before sunrise and the figurative 'earliest phase' are uncountable, so the dawn of an era normally stays singular. The same spelling also serves as the present-tense verb.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of dawn.

   Slowly it dawns on her that the meeting was canceled hours ago.

   A new day dawns over the valley as the mist begins to lift.

   Note

   Every use of the verb is intransitive, so this form never takes a direct object: a day dawns, light dawns, and figuratively an idea dawns. In the figurative use, it often stands at the front, on marks the person, and the realization arrives last, as in it dawns on her that the meeting was canceled. A further figurative sense, beginning to show promise, suits hopes and new eras.

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