# overnight

/ˈoʊvɝˈnaɪt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/overnight
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. during the night

adverb · CEFR B1

happening during the night or until the next morning.

For teachers: occurring throughout the course of a single night.

- We decided to travel overnight to avoid the heavy daytime traffic.
- The snow fell steadily overnight, leaving the entire valley blanketed in a thick layer of white by dawn.

Usage: Usually placed after the verb or at the end of the clause.

### 2. suddenly

adverb · CEFR B1

happening very quickly or suddenly.

For teachers: occurring with extreme rapidity or suddenness, often metaphorically.

- The young singer became a star overnight after her video went viral.
- The sleepy fishing village was transformed overnight into a bustling tourist hub following the completion of the new coastal highway.

### 3. lasting one night

adjective · CEFR B1

lasting for or used during one night.

For teachers: intended for use during a night or lasting for the duration of a night.

- I packed a small overnight bag for my trip to the city.
- The hospital offers overnight stays for patients who require observation after minor surgical procedures.

### 4. to stay the night

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to stay somewhere for the night.

For teachers: to spend the night at a particular location; intransitive use.

- We can overnight at my cousin's house if the weather gets too bad to drive.
- The hikers decided to overnight in a small mountain hut rather than risk a descent in the fading light.

### 5. to send for next-day delivery

verb · CEFR B2 · American English

to send a letter or package so it arrives the next day.

For teachers: to dispatch a parcel or document via a courier service for next-day delivery.

- I need to overnight these documents to the head office so they arrive by tomorrow.
- The legal team had to overnight the signed contracts to ensure the merger was finalised before the weekend deadline.

Usage: Transitive verb taking a direct object.

### 6. TV ratings

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the number of people who watched a TV show, reported the next morning.

For teachers: preliminary viewership figures for a television programme, typically released the morning following the broadcast.

- The show's overnights were much higher than the producers expected.
- Despite a strong marketing campaign, the overnights suggested that the new sitcom failed to capture the target demographic.

Usage: Almost always used in the plural form.

## Examples

- The band became an overnight success after their song went viral.
- The courier service offers an overnight delivery option for documents that must arrive by the next morning.
- While the actor seemed like an overnight sensation to the public, he had actually spent a decade performing in small regional theaters before landing his breakout role.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.