overnight

1 of 4

adverb

over·​night ˌō-vər-ˈnīt How to pronounce overnight (audio)
1
a
: on the evening before
b
: during the night
stayed away overnight
2
: very quickly or suddenly
became famous overnight

overnight

2 of 4

adjective

over·​night ˌō-vər-ˈnīt How to pronounce overnight (audio)
1
: of, lasting, or staying the night
2
: sudden, rapid
an overnight sensation
3
: traveling during the night
an overnight train
4
a
: accomplished by a mail service within one day's time
overnight delivery
b
: delivered within one day's time
overnight mail

overnight

3 of 4

verb

overnighted; overnighting; overnights

intransitive verb

: to stay overnight

transitive verb

: to send (something, such as a package or letter) by a mail service for delivery within one day's time

overnight

4 of 4

noun

over·​night ˈō-vər-ˌnīt How to pronounce overnight (audio)
: an overnight stay

Examples of overnight in a Sentence

Adverb He stayed overnight and went home the next day. Let the paint dry overnight. The novel made her famous overnight. Adjective They went on an overnight bus trip. Overnight guests are not allowed in the dormitory. The show was an overnight success.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Confidence: Medium Tomorrow night: Rain continues through the evening and could be heavy at times before diminishing overnight. Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 The ski resort Sierra-at-Tahoe in Twin Bridges shared images with CNN of snow piling up against the door of the resort’s maintenance shop and a car in the resort’s guest parking buried in snow that fell overnight. Susannah Cullinane, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Do not store pet food outside or leave it out overnight. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The fire stopped traveling along the Purgatoire River at the confluence of the Arkansas River, which mostly held the fire in place from the north overnight into Sunday. Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 4 Mar. 2024 Respite and navigation are expected to be offered 24/7 at the library in an underused section, Milne said, but only overnight at the senior center. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 North of Lake Tahoe, on I-80, many vehicles were stuck overnight on Donner Summit, California Highway Patrol said. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024 Its approval in 2022 meant that pretty much overnight the US became one of the most attractive destinations for cleantech investment. María Mendiluce, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Then syndicated morning and overnight shows moved in to replace local talent. Tom Roland, Billboard, 28 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Soon after that work was completed, an overnight bluff collapse in February 2021 threatened the tracks and briefly stopped trains. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 Scottsdale drew about 6 million overnight visitors (4.8 million domestic travelers and 1.2 million international travelers) in 2022, with domestic travel besting prepandemic levels, according to an October 2023 tourism study citing data from Longwoods International and Tourism Economics. Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 They’re occasionally scheduled for eight-hour overnight shifts to deal with the inevitable backlog. Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2024 There’s still plenty of locations in Biscayne Bay for overnight anchoring. Alyssa Johnson, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2024 Those looking to make a weekend of it can purchase overnight camping passes at IMS for April 6-8. The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024 To put that into perspective, the overnight gains are the equivalent of what Capital One COF -0.3% is paying for Discover. Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Skies may be a mix of clouds and sun with a slight shower chance, or even a brief period of overnight light rain. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 There are eight Neighborhood Place locations that will also function as overnight warming centers, Greenberg said. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
Star Legend will sail 16 week-long cruises between Rome and Barcelona, visiting Florence and Pisa in Italy; Monte Carlo, Monaco (where the ship will overnight); and Marseille, France. Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2023 This video is showing Covariant’s robotic picking system operating (for over an hour at 10x speed) in a warehouse that handles logistics for a company called Obeta, which overnights orders of electrical supplies to electricians in Germany. IEEE Spectrum, 29 Jan. 2020 If Newport Aeronautical had the documents, Barazin would photocopy and overnight them to the customers. WIRED, 19 Aug. 2022 This time, Magnanti had to overnight the mask to Los Angeles, where the women’s team departed from. Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2022 These mobile providers may be able to overnight a new device or replacement so your business doesn’t have to stop when your devices do. Max Silber, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2021 Dell was able to overnight a replacement module for the 7090, which easily slid into place. Dwight Silverman, Forbes, 14 June 2021 For every room booked May 4-12 for stays between July 6 and Oct. 29, 2020, using the code THANKYOU, guests will get up to 50% off standard room rates and Great Wolf will donate one overnight stay to a nurse. Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5 May 2020 The company making Perkins’ ring had reopened and agreed to overnight the ring to the couple via FedEx. Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2020
Noun
During the overnights rose ceremony, Nance was eliminated. Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 5 Feb. 2024 Out-of-town overnights in the mountains or in-town educational activities can be a stretch for many struggling families. Staff Reports, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 The first sailing, a 10-day voyage on board Seven Seas Voyager features overnights in Trieste, Italy; Zadar, Croatia; and two nights in Athens, Greece. Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2024 Listen to our daily D.C. forecasts: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Echo | More options Through Tonight: Moderate to heavy rain continues this evening and into the early overnight. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2024 At the time, the focus was on base-camping overnights and family car camping—not on long traverses. Corey Buhay, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2024 Confidence: Medium-High Tomorrow night: Rain continues and is heavy at times for a big chunk of the overnight. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2023 Confidence: Medium-High Tonight: Any daytime clouds should clear out by evening, leaving us mostly clear through the overnight. Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023 Forecast in detail Beautiful, low-humidity Canadian air dominates our days ahead along with cool, comfortable overnights. Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overnight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overnight was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near overnight

Cite this Entry

“Overnight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overnight. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

overnight

1 of 2 adverb
over·​night ˌō-vər-ˈnīt How to pronounce overnight (audio)
1
: on or during the evening or night
stayed away overnight
2
: very quickly or suddenly
became famous overnight

overnight

2 of 2 adjective
1
: of, lasting, or staying the night
overnight trip
an overnight guest
2
: sudden sense 1
overnight stardom
3
: traveling during the night
an overnight train
4
: delivered within one day's time
overnight mail
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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