What Time is Morning? | Definition & Use
What time is morning depends on the context.
- If you’re making arrangements or appointments, morning is considered any time before 12 p.m., noon (when afternoon starts), but not before the usual start of daily activities such as work or school. People often define the part of the morning they mean more precisely by specifying “early morning,” “midmorning,” or “late morning.”
- The phrase “in the morning” or “in the mornings” is often used to talk about daily routines in the time between waking up and noon. Depending on context, it can refer to this entire part of the day or specifically to the time when you’re preparing to start your daily activities (e.g., getting ready for work or school) or the time before noon when you’re doing your daily activities (e.g., when you’re at work or school).
- We often specify a time after about 1 a.m. when people are normally asleep by saying “[one, two, three, etc.] in the morning.”
- In some contexts, such as weather reports, morning may be considered the time between sunrise and midday.
- If you’re deciding if it’s the right time to say Good morning, then what time is considered morning can depend on whether you’re greeting someone at the beginning or end of the day.
| Morning in a sentence | Context |
|---|---|
| Do you have any appointments in the morning next week? | Someone asking a dental office receptionist for an appointment any day next week at a time between 8 a.m. (when the dentist opens) and 12 noon |
| I’m always in such a rush in the mornings, so I have my breakfast at work. | Someone talking about their daily routine before starting work |
| I usually visit customers in the mornings. | Some talking about their daily work routine before noon |
| It didn’t finish until about three in the morning. | Someone talking about their neighbor’s party, which ended at 3 a.m. |
| You can expect a few light showers tomorrow morning, especially before 8 o’clock | A TV weather reporter giving tomorrow’s forecast |
| Good morning! You’re up early today. | A woman, who starts work very early and is on her way to work, greeting her neighbor in the street at 5 a.m. |
What time is midmorning?
Midmorning is not a precisely defined part of the day, but typically refers to the time around 10:30 a.m.
When making appointments, “midmorning” is considered to be between about 10 and 11 a.m., assuming a typical 9 a.m. start to the workday.
In other contexts, when talking about a schedule for a day that starts very early, for example, “midmorning” could infer an earlier time window.
In TV and radio broadcasting, the term “midmorning” usually refers to programs or segments that air after the start of the workday between about 9 and 11 a.m.
| Midmorning in a sentence | Context | Inferred time |
|---|---|---|
| I’m free midmorning tomorrow. | Arranging a work meeting in an industry where the workday typically starts at 9 a.m. | Between about 10 and 11 a.m. |
| I’m free midmorning tomorrow. | Arranging a work meeting in an industry where the workday typically starts at 8 a.m. | Between about 9:30 and 11 a.m. |
| We’re going to make a midmorning stop at the visitor center for refreshments. | Talking about the itinerary for an organized hike starting at 7 a.m. | Between about 9 and 10 a.m. |
| And now over to Marie for the midmorning weather update. | A radio announcer introducing a weather update. | About 10 a.m. |
What time is late morning?
Late morning is not a precisely defined part of the day. When making arrangements and appointments, “late morning” is considered to be between about 11 a.m. and noon, assuming a typical 9 a.m. start to the workday.
In other contexts, when talking about a schedule for a day that starts very early, for example, “late morning” could infer an earlier time window.
| Late morning in a sentence | Context | Inferred time |
|---|---|---|
| Late morning would be good for me. | Arranging a work meeting in an industry where the workday typically starts at 9 a.m. | Between about 11 a.m. and 12 noon. |
| Late morning would be good for me. | Arranging a work meeting in an industry where the workday typically starts at 8 a.m. | Between about 10:30 a.m. and 12 noon. |
| The park ranger is expecting us at the visitor center late morning, when she’s going to talk to us about her conservation work. | Talking about the itinerary for an organized hike starting at 7 a.m. | Between about 10 a.m. and 12 noon. |
What time is early morning?
Early morning is not a precisely defined part of the day. When making arrangements and appointments, “early morning” is considered to be between about 9 and 10 a.m., assuming a typical 9 a.m. start to the workday.
In other contexts, when talking about a schedule for a day that starts very early, for example, “early morning” could infer an earlier time window.
If someone describes a flight as “early morning,” they typically mean that it departs before about 7:30 a.m. However, in travel industry terminology, a flight is generally considered to be “early morning” if it departs before 9 a.m.
| Early morning in a sentence | Context | Inferred time |
|---|---|---|
| How about early morning tomorrow? | Suggesting a time for a work meeting in an industry where the workday typically starts at 9 a.m. | Between about 9 and 10 a.m. |
| How about early morning tomorrow? | Suggesting a time for a work meeting in an industry where the workday typically starts at 8 a.m. | Between about 8 and 9:30 |
| Tomorrow starts with a light early-morning jog. | Talking about tomorrow’s itinerary at a tennis training camp, where activities start at 7 a.m. | 7 a.m. |
| I booked an early-morning flight. | An everyday conversation about travel arrangements. | Between about 5 and 7:30 a.m. |
Early in the morning
We sometimes say early in the morning to refer to the time between around 4 a.m. and when most people usually start getting up to begin their day.
When to say good morning
You say Good morning to someone the first time you see them that day, as long as it’s before 12 noon.
| Situation | Is Good morning an appropriate greeting? |
|---|---|
| You meet a neighbor outside your home on your way to work at 7:30 a.m. The neighbor is also on her way to work. | Yes. |
| You meet a neighbor outside your home at 1 a.m. (01:00) when you’re returning home after working a late shift. The neighbor is walking his dog. | No. You and your neighbor are finishing your day, so would likely consider this part of the day to be very late evening or nighttime. “Hello” would be an appropriate greeting, and you might end the conversation with “Good night” if it’s clear that you both intend to go to sleep soon. |
| You meet a coworker at 2 a.m. (02:00) in the parking lot at work before you are both about to start an early shift. | Yes. You and your colleague are starting your working day, so likely consider it to be morning already. |
| You meet the same coworker in the break room later the same day at 6 a.m. | No. You’ve already greeted this colleague with “Good morning” when you met them in the parking lot before work—you only say “Good morning” to someone the first time you see them on a particular day. |
| Your workday starts at 9 a.m. and it’s now 11 a.m. You meet a coworker in the corridor who you haven’t seen yet that day. | Yes. This is the first time you’ve seen this coworker and it’s before 12 noon, so you could say “Good morning.” However, many people may prefer to use an alternative greeting such as “Hello” this late in the morning. |
Frequently asked questions about what time is morning
- Is 11 am morning?
-
Yes, 11 a.m. is morning (one hour before noon/midday). Using the 24-hour clock (military time), it is written as 11:00.
You can say “Good morning” to someone at 11 a.m.
What time is morning can depend on context (e.g., 2 a.m. may be considered morning for someone starting an early work shift but nighttime for someone who went to bed at 11 p.m. and has been woken up by a noise).
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Paraphraser? It can help you find alternatives to time expressions such as “a.m.” and “noon.”
- Is 12 pm noon?
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Yes, conventionally 12 p.m. is noon, and 12 a.m. is midnight.
You can say “12 p.m. noon” (or just “12 noon”) and “12 a.m. midnight” (or just “12 midnight”) for clarity when making arrangements.
12 noon is the point at which morning ends and afternoon starts.
Bear in mind that the context sometimes determines what time is morning (e.g., 3 a.m may be considered morning for someone starting an early work shift but nighttime for someone who went to bed at 11:30 p.m. and has been woken up by a noisy neighbor).
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser tool can help you find alternative words and phrases for times and parts of the day such as “noon” and “nighttime.”
- Is 12 am morning?
-
12 a.m. is midnight. It is the point at which one day finishes and the next day starts, so 12:01 a.m. is technically morning time in contexts where morning is defined as the first 12 hours of the day.
You can say “12 a.m. midnight” or just “12 midnight” for clarity when making arrangements.
What time is morning can depend on context (e.g., 2:30 a.m. may be considered morning for a shift worker beginning an early shift but nighttime for someone who went to bed at midnight and has been woken up by a thunderstorm).
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you find synonyms for time expressions such as “midnight” and “nighttime.”
- Is it goodmorning or good morning?
-
It is Good morning, not Goodmorning (i.e., the greeting “Good morning” is written as two words).
Bear in mind that what time is morning is often determined by the context (e.g., 2 a.m. is usually considered nighttime, but coworkers starting an early shift at this hour might greet each with “Good morning”).
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser tool can help you find alternatives to greetings such as “Good morning” in your writing.
- Is 12 am midnight?
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Yes, conventionally, 12 a.m. is midnight, and 12 p.m. is noon/midday.
You can say, “12 a.m. midnight” (or just “12 midnight”) and “12 p.m. noon” (or just “12 noon”) for clarity when making arrangements.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser tool can help you find alternative words and phrases for time expressions like “midnight” and “noon.”
