broad daylight
Syllables: broad day·light/bɹɔːd ˈdeɪlaɪt/US/bɹɔd ˈdeɪˌlaɪt/
broad daylight noun: abundant natural illumination in daytime, producing clear visibility; hence, daytime.
Noun
broad daylight (uncountable)
- Abundant natural illumination in daytime, producing clear visibility; hence, daytime.
- VVhen half a dozen ingenous Men are got together over a Glaſs of VVine, by a chearful Fire, in a Room vvell lighted, vve baniſh vvith eaſe all the Spectres of Fancy or Education, and are very clear in our Deciſions. But, as I vvas taking a ſolitary VValk before it vvas broad Day-light in yonder...1732, George Berkeley, “The Fourth Dialogue”, in Alciphron: Or, The Minute Philosopher. […], volume I, London: […] J[acob] Tonson […], →OCLC, section III, page 211
- Broad daylight illumined the apartment, for the sun was high in heaven, though obscured by rolling masses of autumnal vapour.1848, Acton Bell [pseudonym; Anne Brontë], “The Retreat”, in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. […], volume III, London: T[homas] C[autley] Newby, […], →OCLC, page 121
- Synonyms:
- open daylight
- Chiefly preceded by in: the full view of observers during the day.
- The bank robbery took place in broad daylight.
- 'But surely,' protested Peter half-heartedly, 'he couldn't carry on a racket like that in broad daylight and get away with it?'1934, Leslie Charteris, “The Uncritical Publisher”, in Ian Dickerson, editor, The Saint Intervenes, London: Mulholland Books, published 2013, →ISBN, page 125
broad daylight meaning in Tamil, Kannada and Vietnamese
broad daylight in Tamil
- abundant natural illumination in daytime
- பட்டப்பகல் paṭṭappakal
broad daylight in Kannada
- ನಿಡುವಗಲು, ನಟ್ಟನಡುವಗಲ್, ನಟ್ಟನಡುಹಗಲ್
broad daylight in Vietnamese
- abundant natural illumination in daytime
- sáng bạch, thanh thiên bạch nhật
Examples of broad daylight in a sentence
- Within all was dark; but she entered as freely and with as little misgiving or restraint as if it had been broad daylight.1911, Bram Stoker, “Exit Oolanga”, in The Lair of the White Worm, London: William Rider and Son, […], →OCLC, page 170:
- We're gonna rock around the clock tonight, / We're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylight, / We're gonna rock, gonna rock around the clock tonight.1952 (date written), Max C[harles] Freedman, Jimmy De Knight [pseudonym; James Edward Myers], “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock”...
- It's still too dangerous for the wife of a journalist who was murdered in the street in broad daylight.2008 January 24, Brian Benntt, “When Iraqis Come to America”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original...
Synonyms of broad daylight
Origin of broad daylight
From broad (“(archaic) to the full extent”) + daylight.
Words formed from broad daylight
Questions about broad daylight
- What does broad daylight mean?
- Broad daylight means abundant natural illumination in daytime, producing clear visibility; hence, daytime.
- What is broad daylight in Tamil?
- Broad daylight in Tamil is பட்டப்பகல் (paṭṭappakal). See Broad daylight meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use broad daylight in a sentence?
- Within all was dark; but she entered as freely and with as little misgiving or restraint as if it had been broad daylight.
- What part of speech is broad daylight?
- Broad daylight is a noun.
- How do you pronounce broad daylight?
- Broad daylight is pronounced /bɹɔːd ˈdeɪlaɪt/ (UK).
Words near broad daylight in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: broad daylight (page history and authors); broad daylight (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-broad daylight.wav.
Cite this entry: “broad daylight.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/broad_daylight. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.