What does "daylight" mean?
The natural light that is ambient in daytime, being mostly sunlight (both direct and indirect, on either sunny days or cloudy days).
Daylight
/ˈdeɪlaɪt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The natural light that is ambient in daytime, being mostly sunlight (both direct and indirect, on either sunny days or cloudy days).
- Grammar: daylight is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: daytime, aurora, ballyhoo, blurb.
- Useful contrasts: nightly, romanian auroră, overnight.
- Usage evidence: The burglar broke into the post office in broad daylight.
How to use "daylight"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "daylight" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "daylight" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "daylight" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "daylight" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "daylight" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "daytime" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "daylight", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The natural light that is ambient in daytime, being mostly sunlight (both direct and indirect, on either sunny days or cloudy days). countable, uncountable
"Meronym: sunbeams"
- 2 light during the daytime wordnet
- 3 A light source that simulates daylight. countable, uncountable
- 4 the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside wordnet
- 5 The intensity distribution of light over the visible spectrum generated by the Sun under various conditions or by other light sources intended to simulate natural daylight. countable
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 The period of time between sunrise and sunset. countable, uncountable
"burning daylight"
- 7 Daybreak. countable, uncountable
"We had only two hours to work before daylight."
- 8 Exposure to public scrutiny. countable, uncountable
"Budgeting a spy organization can't very well be done in daylight."
- 9 A clear, open space. countable, uncountable
"All small running backs instinctively run to daylight."
- 10 The space between platens on a press or similar machinery. countable
"The minimum and maximum daylights on an injection molding machine determines the sizes of the items it can make."
- 11 Emotional or psychological distance between people, or disagreement. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"We completely agree. There's no daylight between us on the issue."
- 12 Meaningful or noticeable difference or distinction between two things, especially concepts. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"There's not much daylight between saying that the universe is God and saying that God doesn't exist."
- 13 The gap between the top of a drinking-glass and the level of drink it is filled with. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To expose to daylight
"[…] the Morlocks, subterranean for innumerable generations, had come at last to find the daylit surface intolerable."
- 2 To provide sources of natural illumination such as skylights or windows.
- 3 To allow light in, as by opening drapes.
- 4 To run a drainage pipe to an opening from which its contents can drain away naturally.
- 5 To gain exposure to the open. intransitive
"The seam of coal daylighted at a cliff by the river."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The burglar broke into the post office in broad daylight."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "daylight"?
Common synonyms include: daytime, aurora, ballyhoo, blurb, break of day, bright light.
How do you use "daylight" in a sentence?
The burglar broke into the post office in broad daylight.
How do you pronounce "daylight"?
Pronounced /ˈdeɪlaɪt/.
Etymology
From Middle English daye-lighte, dey liȝht, dailiȝt, day-liht, dai-liht (also as days lyȝt, daies liht), equivalent to day + light. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Deegeslucht, Daisljoacht (“daylight”), West Frisian deiljocht (“daylight”), Dutch daglicht (“daylight”), German Tageslicht (“daylight”).