eve·ning
(ēv′nĭng)n.1. The period of decreasing daylight between afternoon and night.
2. The period between sunset or the evening meal and bedtime: a quiet evening at home.
3. A later period or time: in the evening of one's life.
4. Chiefly Southern US The time from noon to twilight.
[Middle English, from Old English ǣfnung, from ǣfnian, to become evening, from ǣfen, evening.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
evening
(ˈiːvnɪŋ) n1. the latter part of the day, esp from late afternoon until nightfall
2. the latter or concluding period: the evening of one's life.
3. the early part of the night spent in a specified way: an evening at the theatre.
4. an entertainment, meeting, or reception held in the early part of the night
5. dialect Southern US and Brit the period between noon and sunset
6. (modifier) of, used, or occurring in the evening: the evening papers.
[Old English ǣfnung; related to Old Frisian ēvend, Old High German āband]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
eve•ning
(ˈiv nɪŋ)
n. 1. the latter part of the day and early part of the night.
2. the period from sunset to bedtime.
3. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. the time between noon and sunset, including the afternoon and twilight.
4. any concluding or declining period.
5. an evening's reception or entertainment.
adj. 6. of or pertaining to evening.
7. occurring or seen in the evening.
[before 1000; Middle English; Old English
ǣfnung=
ǣfn(ian) draw toward evening (derivative of ǣfen
even2)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
evening
The evening is the part of each day between the end of the afternoon and the time when you go to bed.
1. the present dayYou refer to the evening of the present day as this evening.
Come and have dinner with me this evening.
I came here this evening because I wanted to be on my own.
You can refer to the evening of the previous day as yesterday evening, but it is more common to say last night.
'So you saw me in King Street yesterday evening?' 'Yes.'
I met your husband last night.
I've been thinking about what we said last night.
You refer to the evening of the next day as tomorrow evening or tomorrow night.
Gerald's giving a little party tomorrow evening.
Will you be home in time for dinner tomorrow night?
2. single events in the pastIf you want to say that something happened during a particular evening in the past, you use on.
She telephoned Ida on Tuesday evening.
On the evening after the party, Dirk went to see Erik.
If you have been describing what happened during a particular day, you can say that something happened that evening or in the evening.
That evening the children asked me to watch television with them.
He came back in the evening.
If you are talking about a day in the past and you want to mention that something had happened during the evening of the day before, you say that it had happened the previous evening or the evening before.
Douglas had spent the previous evening at a hotel.
Freya opened the gift Beth had given her the evening before.
If you want to say that something happened during the evening of the next day, you say that it happened the following evening.
Mopani arrived at their house the following evening.
I told Patricia that I would take her for dinner the following evening.
3. talking about the futureIf you want to say that something will happen during a particular evening in the future, you use on.
The winning project will be announced on Monday evening.
I will write to her on Sunday evening.
If you are already talking about a day in the future, you can say that something will happen in the evening.
The school sports day will be on June 22 with prizegiving in the evening.
4. regular eventsIf something happens regularly every evening, you say that it happens in the evening or in the evenings.
In the evening I like to iron my clothes as this is one less job for the morning.
And what do you do in the evenings?
In American English, evenings does not require 'in' or 'on'.
I like to go out evenings with friends.
If you want to say that something happens regularly once a week during a particular evening, you use on followed by the name of the day and evenings.
He plays chess on Monday evenings.
We would all gather there on Friday evenings.
American English does not require 'on'.
Friday evenings he visited with his father.
5. exact timesIf you have mentioned an exact time and you want to make it clear that you are talking about the evening rather than the morning, you add in the evening.
He arrived about six in the evening.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012