evening
A1Formal, neutral, informal
Definition
Meaning
The period of the day between late afternoon and nightfall.
A social event or performance held during the evening; figuratively, the later part of something (e.g., the evening of one's life).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often associated with leisure, relaxation, and socializing. Can refer to a specific event ('an evening at the theatre') or a time period. Boundaries with 'afternoon' and 'night' are fluid and culturally dependent.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Brits more commonly use 'evening' as a greeting ('Good evening'). In AmE, 'good evening' is more formal; 'night' is often used earlier (e.g., 'Good night' as a greeting upon arrival at an evening event is rare in BrE but occasionally heard in AmE).
Connotations
Similar connotations in both varieties.
Frequency
Very high frequency in both. The greeting 'Good evening' is more frequent in BrE.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
in the eveningduring the eveningfor the eveningon [Day] evening[All] eveningVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “the evening of one's life”
- “make an evening of it”
- “of an evening (archaic/regional)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in scheduling: 'Let's arrange a call for tomorrow evening.'
Academic
Used descriptively or in historical context: 'The experiments were conducted over three consecutive evenings.'
Everyday
Extremely common for referring to time: 'What are you doing this evening?'
Technical
In astronomy/meteorology for precise time periods (e.g., 'evening twilight').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The rain began to evening as we made our way home.
- (Rare, poetic) To become evening.
American English
- (Very rare, poetic/archaic) The sky was evening quickly.
adverb
British English
- (Regional/archaic) He would visit of an evening.
American English
- (Rare/nonstandard) We're meeting evening tomorrow.
adjective
British English
- She wore an elegant evening gown.
- We enjoy an evening stroll.
American English
- He has an evening job at the library.
- The evening news is on at seven.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I watch TV in the evening.
- Good evening! How are you?
- See you tomorrow evening.
- We're planning a quiet evening at home.
- The evening was cool and pleasant.
- Do you have any plans for Friday evening?
- She spent the entire evening preparing for the presentation.
- The conference includes a formal evening on the last day.
- In the evening of his life, he took up painting.
- The charity is hosting a gala evening to raise funds.
- We whiled away the summer evening discussing philosophy.
- The shadows lengthened, evening the landscape with a golden hue.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'EVE' + 'NING' – The 'eve' of the night.
Conceptual Metaphor
EVENING IS THE END OF THE DAY (e.g., 'the evening of his career'). EVENING IS A TIME FOR RELAXATION.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation of Russian 'вечером' as 'in the evening' when a simple adverb is better (e.g., 'I'll call you tonight' vs. 'I'll call you in the evening').
- Be careful with 'yesterday evening'/'tomorrow evening' – Russians might omit 'yesterday/tomorrow'.
- Russian 'ночь' covers part of what is 'evening' in English (e.g., 'We met at 8 PM' is 'вечером', not 'ночью').
Common Mistakes
- Using 'in the evening' when a preposition isn't needed (e.g., 'I work evenings').
- Confusing 'evening' with 'night' (evening typically ends when one goes to bed).
- Overusing 'good evening' in informal American contexts.
Practice
Quiz
Which phrase is most natural in modern American English for an informal greeting after 6 PM?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Evening' typically refers to the period from late afternoon until bedtime. 'Night' refers to the time of darkness, often when people are asleep. The boundary is vague, but 'evening' generally precedes 'night'.
There is no fixed time. Culturally, it often starts around 5 or 6 PM, after the typical workday ends. It is more defined by social activity (evening meal, prime-time TV) than by the clock.
It is extremely rare and considered archaic or poetic. Example: 'As the day eveninged, we lit the lamps.' In modern usage, it is almost exclusively a noun or adjective.
Primarily for greeting upon meeting someone in the evening. For parting in the evening, 'Good night' is standard. Using 'Good evening' to say goodbye is unusual.
Collections
Part of a collection
Daily Routine
A1 · 50 words · Words for describing your everyday activities and schedule.
Numbers and Time
A1 · 50 words · Numbers, dates, days and expressions of time.