Noontime
noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Noon.
- 2 Approximately noon.
"the noontime hours"
- 3 The time at which something peaks in some way (e.g., in vitality, in influence, in reknown) (by analogy with the waxing of the sun each day). figuratively
"We should so organize our rank and mobilize our forces that our influence may not be dissipated before the advancing hosts of quackery and ignorance. This we can do effectively if only the wise and successful ones among our leaders can be induced to forgo the dolce far niente of the noontime of their lives."
Example
More examples"Noontime in Boston is late night in Japan."
Etymology
From noon + time, perhaps an innovation of earlier English noontide (“noontime”), from Middle English noon tijd, from Old English nōntīd (“noontime”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English merian, merion (“noontime”) from Old French meriiene, merīane (“noontime”).
More for "noontime"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.