1
: the apparent descent of the sun below the horizon
also
: the accompanying atmospheric effects
2
: the time when the upper limb of the sun disappears below the horizon as a result of the diurnal rotation of the earth
3
: a period of decline
especially
: old age
: stipulating the periodic review of government agencies and programs in order to continue their existence
sunset laws
sunsetted; sunsetting
1
transitive
US
: to cause or allow (something, such as a law) to lapse, end, or be terminated
And yet, even though he was part of the coalition, Obama offered an amendment … that would have sunsetted the merit-based evaluation system for immigrants after five years.—
Jake Tapper
Jake TapperIn an effort to cut back on projects, Google decided to sunset Google Reader …—Tristan Louis
Tristan Louis2
intransitive
US
: to lapse or come to an end : expire
laws that will sunset at the end of the year
Since the credit will sunset at the end of 2016, its fate could rest in the hands of a new Congress and a new president—who might not necessarily see the value in reinstating the credit.—Eric S. Peterson
Eric S. Peterson
Synonyms
Examples of sunset in a Sentence
Noun
We worked from sunrise to sunset.
the golden light of sunset
Recent Examples on the WebRobert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
In the day, business continues as normal, but after sunset, the streets swiftly empty.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
Nestled between the bays of Marsalforn and San Blas, the warm waters are calm by day and the sunsets a spectacle by night.
—Anya Meyerowitz, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2024
The actual moment when the disk of the moon locked into place brought on a collective gasp and shout, and then beneath the darkness, along the horizon line from Canada down to Ticonderoga, there appeared a blessed twilight, a rim of impossible sunset.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2024
Larry flies off into the sunset, with a relatively uninspired quarrel with Susie (Susie Essman) marking the end of this narrative.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
In England, the Premier League has allowed clubs with Muslim players to arrange with referees for brief breaks at sunset since 2021.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
For example, migrating birds often use the sunset — a reliable western bearing — to orient themselves.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Winds die off a good deal with sunset, then wane further through the night.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Sofia Quintero, ELLE Decor, 28 Mar. 2023
The solar system’s largest planet this week takes a bow and departs the post-sunset night sky for many months.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2023
Venus is getting brighter in the post-sunset western sky, this week passing close to Neptune.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2023
The three may have combined to produce post-sunset skies on the western horizon that seemed to represent a sort of meteorological inkblot test.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2022
The moon appears this week as a slim crescent in the post-sunset sky.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2023
This post-sunset lighting can be seen in the introductory image above, which showcases reddish hues bouncing off the white cores and upper stage.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2023
However, this year the probable culprit—the occasionally extraordinarily bright planet Venus—will return this week to the post-sunset western sky.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2022
The post ends with a sunset aerial view of her Hidden Hills property, showing the manicured landscape, a basketball court and a glimpse of a pool.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 30 Nov. 2022
Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024
While a top-ranking member of the administration said Bowser (D) plans to reinstitute the emergency soon, advocates and officials who pressed for the measure last year expressed disappointment that it had been allowed to sunset and implored the District to scale up its response to overdoses.
—Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024
The company will sunset the service on April 24 and migrate users to NordVPN, whose parent company acquired Atlas VPN in 2021.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 26 Mar. 2024
But the law requiring those records was allowed to sunset in 2020.
—Jessica Roy, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
Muslims who have reached puberty and who are physically capable will fast from sunrise to sunset every day for about 30 days.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024
On March 31, sunrise will occur at 6:32 a.m. and sunset at 7:18 p.m., for a total of 12 hours and 46 minutes of daylight.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024
And an unrelated viral hoax circulated on X at the end of last week, stating Google would sunset its wildly popular Gmail platform on August 1.
—Cio, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
The period of probation took effect Feb. 8, 2022, and sunset six days before Mays allegedly set off a chain of gunfire that left 25 people shot, including several children and a bystander who died.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
Clocks there still run on Byzantine time, with the day starting at sunset rather than midnight.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
In the day, business continues as normal, but after sunset, the streets swiftly empty.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
Nestled between the bays of Marsalforn and San Blas, the warm waters are calm by day and the sunsets a spectacle by night.
—Anya Meyerowitz, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2024
The actual moment when the disk of the moon locked into place brought on a collective gasp and shout, and then beneath the darkness, along the horizon line from Canada down to Ticonderoga, there appeared a blessed twilight, a rim of impossible sunset.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2024
Larry flies off into the sunset, with a relatively uninspired quarrel with Susie (Susie Essman) marking the end of this narrative.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
In England, the Premier League has allowed clubs with Muslim players to arrange with referees for brief breaks at sunset since 2021.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
For example, migrating birds often use the sunset — a reliable western bearing — to orient themselves.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Winds die off a good deal with sunset, then wane further through the night.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Add an elegant outdoor sconce for some post-sunset flow and a cozy pillow.
—Sofia Quintero, ELLE Decor, 28 Mar. 2023
The solar system’s largest planet this week takes a bow and departs the post-sunset night sky for many months.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2023
Venus is getting brighter in the post-sunset western sky, this week passing close to Neptune.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2023
The three may have combined to produce post-sunset skies on the western horizon that seemed to represent a sort of meteorological inkblot test.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2022
The moon appears this week as a slim crescent in the post-sunset sky.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2023
This post-sunset lighting can be seen in the introductory image above, which showcases reddish hues bouncing off the white cores and upper stage.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2023
However, this year the probable culprit—the occasionally extraordinarily bright planet Venus—will return this week to the post-sunset western sky.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2022
The post ends with a sunset aerial view of her Hidden Hills property, showing the manicured landscape, a basketball court and a glimpse of a pool.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 30 Nov. 2022
Verb
From sunrise to sunset on Tuesday, April 2, flags at all state buildings in Arizona would be lowered to half-staff to honor Tucson police Officer Adam Buckner.
—Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024
While a top-ranking member of the administration said Bowser (D) plans to reinstitute the emergency soon, advocates and officials who pressed for the measure last year expressed disappointment that it had been allowed to sunset and implored the District to scale up its response to overdoses.
—Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024
The company will sunset the service on April 24 and migrate users to NordVPN, whose parent company acquired Atlas VPN in 2021.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 26 Mar. 2024
But the law requiring those records was allowed to sunset in 2020.
—Jessica Roy, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
Muslims who have reached puberty and who are physically capable will fast from sunrise to sunset every day for about 30 days.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024
On March 31, sunrise will occur at 6:32 a.m. and sunset at 7:18 p.m., for a total of 12 hours and 46 minutes of daylight.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024
And an unrelated viral hoax circulated on X at the end of last week, stating Google would sunset its wildly popular Gmail platform on August 1.
—Cio, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
The period of probation took effect Feb. 8, 2022, and sunset six days before Mays allegedly set off a chain of gunfire that left 25 people shot, including several children and a bystander who died.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sunset.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Articles Related to sunset
Dictionary Entries Near sunset
Cite this Entry
“Sunset.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sunset. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
sunset
noun
sun·set
-ˌset
1
: the apparent sinking of the sun below the horizon
also
: the accompanying atmospheric effects
2
: the time at which the sun sets
Legal Definition
sunset
adjective
sun·set
: having or being a provision stipulating the termination or repeal of something (as a law, grant, or insurance coverage) on a specified date
sunset laws requiring periodic review of programs to justify their continuance
More from Merriam-Webster on sunset
Nglish: Translation of sunset for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of sunset for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share