overnight.
During or throughout the night, especially during the evening or night just past.
Meaning & usage
During or throughout the night, especially during the evening or night just past.
Let it run overnight and we'll check on it in the morning.
They delivered the package overnight.
In a very short (but unspecified) amount of time.
The change seemed to happen overnight.
Where this word comes from
Inherited from Middle English overnyght, from Old English ofer niht (“through the night, overnight”), equivalent to over + night. Verbal use (late 19th c.) may have been influenced by German übernachten (16th c.), though it could also have developed independently. Compare also Dutch overnachten (“to overnight”), Middle Low German ȫvernachten (“to overnight”), West Frisian oernachtsje (“to overnight”), Saterland Frisian uurnoachtje (“to overnight”).
Occurring between dusk and dawn.
The overnight ferry docked at 10 a.m.
Complete before the next morning.
Don't expect overnight delivery.
For which participants stay overnight.
They sent their kids to overnight camp.
We went on an overnight ski trip.
Where this word comes from
Inherited from Middle English overnyght, from Old English ofer niht (“through the night, overnight”), equivalent to over + night. Verbal use (late 19th c.) may have been influenced by German übernachten (16th c.), though it could also have developed independently. Compare also Dutch overnachten (“to overnight”), Middle Low German ȫvernachten (“to overnight”), West Frisian oernachtsje (“to overnight”), Saterland Frisian uurnoachtje (“to overnight”).
To stay overnight; to spend the night.
To send something for delivery the next day.
We can overnight you the documents for signature.
Where this word comes from
Inherited from Middle English overnyght, from Old English ofer niht (“through the night, overnight”), equivalent to over + night. Verbal use (late 19th c.) may have been influenced by German übernachten (16th c.), though it could also have developed independently. Compare also Dutch overnachten (“to overnight”), Middle Low German ȫvernachten (“to overnight”), West Frisian oernachtsje (“to overnight”), Saterland Frisian uurnoachtje (“to overnight”).
An item delivered or completed overnight.
Have you looked at the overnights yet?
An overnight stay, especially in a hotel or other lodging facility.
Viewership ratings for a television show that are published the morning after it is broadcast, and may be revised later on.
The fore part of the previous night; yesterday evening.
Where this word comes from
Inherited from Middle English overnyght, from Old English ofer niht (“through the night, overnight”), equivalent to over + night. Verbal use (late 19th c.) may have been influenced by German übernachten (16th c.), though it could also have developed independently. Compare also Dutch overnachten (“to overnight”), Middle Low German ȫvernachten (“to overnight”), West Frisian oernachtsje (“to overnight”), Saterland Frisian uurnoachtje (“to overnight”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.