midnight

noun

mid·​night ˈmid-ˌnīt 

1

: the middle of the night

specifically : 12 o'clock at night

2

: deep or extended darkness or gloom

midnight adjective

midnightly adverb or adjective

see also:

burn the midnight oil

Examples of midnight in a Sentence

Her parents wanted her home before midnight.

It was 12 midnight when we arrived home.

Recent Examples on the Web

The film fuses horror and crime with Hong Kong spiritual folklore, and is aimed at fans of midnight movies and cult cinema. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

While most of the deals vanished at midnight, a few are still good, including price cuts on the latest MacBooks, killer productivity PCs, and more. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 8 Oct. 2026

Morning lows will be in the mid- to low 50s, with our daily low hitting just before midnight tonight. — Ron Smiley, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

The storm just before midnight had become the first Atlantic system this year to reach hurricane strength. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing midnight

• burn the midnight oil
• midnight blue
• midnight sun
• the midnight hour

Rhymes for midnight

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

midnight

noun

mid·​night ˈmid-ˌnīt 

: 12 o'clock at night

midnight adjective