(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
1.
Dawn is the time of day when light first appears in the sky, just before the sun rises.
Nancy woke at ~.
N-VAR
2.
The ~ of a period of time or a situation is the beginning of it. (LITERARY)
...the ~ of the radio age.
N-SING: usu the N of n
3.
If something is ~ing, it is beginning to develop or come into existence. (WRITTEN)
Throughout Europe a new railway age, that of the high-speed train, has ~ed...
VERB: V
~ing
...the ~ing of the space age...
N-SING: oft the
4.
When you say that a particular day ~ed, you mean it arrived or began, usually when it became light. (WRITTEN)
When the great day ~ed, the first concern was the weather...
VERB: V
5.
at the crack of ~: see crack