noon

noun

ˈnün How to pronounce noon (audio)
Synonyms of noonnext
1
: midday
specifically : 12 o'clock at midday
2
archaic : midnight
—used chiefly in the phrase noon of night
3
: the highest point

Synonyms of noon

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Examples of noon in a Sentence

The party will take place from noon to 4 p.m. He showed up at precisely 12 noon.
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Our August Monthly Meeting is scheduled for Thursday at noon ET. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026 The Saturday morning calm at Catalina Island Health’s two-bed emergency room was broken just before noon, when two tourists with arm injuries burst in within minutes of one another. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 Most mornings appear dry before showers and storms develop after noon. — Rachael Jay, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 Shortly after noon on Monday, Jackson entered the store, wielding a rusted lawnmower blade, according to his arrest report. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for noon

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English nōn ninth hour from sunrise, from Latin nona, from feminine of nonus ninth; akin to Latin novem nine — more at nine

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of noon was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing noon

Rhymes for noon

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Browse Nearby Words

noology
noon
noonday
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Cite this Entry

“Noon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noon. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

noon

noun
ˈnün How to pronounce noon (audio)
: the middle of the day : 12 o'clock in the daytime
noon adjective
Etymology

Old English nōn "ninth hour from sunrise," derived from Latin nona, a feminine form of nonus "ninth," from novem "nine"

Word Origin
Noon has not always meant "12 o'clock in the daytime." In the ancient Roman way of keeping track of time, the hours of the day were counted from sunrise to sunset. The ninth hour of their day (about 3 p.m. nowadays) was called nona, Latin for "ninth." In the early period of English, the word was borrowed as nōn, also referring to the ninth hour after sunrise. By the 14th century, however, the word came to be used for midday, 12 o'clock, as we use it today.

More from Merriam-Webster on noon

Nglish: Translation of noon for Spanish Speakers

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