eve

IPA/iːv/
KK[ˈiv]IPA/iːv/

eve — noun

1. the name given to the day or night immediately before a holiday or any important

1.nounB1
Definition

the name given to the day or night immediately before a holiday or any important occasion

Example

Our neighbours threw a huge party on New Year's Eve.

New Year's Eve — fixed holiday term

Many families open one gift each on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve — fixed holiday term

Common collocations
  • on the eve of
  • Christmas Eve
  • New Year's Eve
  • eve of the wedding
  • eve of the exam
Synonyms
  • night before

    more informal; often used in everyday speech instead of 'eve'

  • day before

    less specific; can refer to any time of day, while 'eve' usually implies evening or night

  • lead-up

    refers to a longer period of preparation, not just the final day or evening

Grammar Patterns

eve of [event]

[Holiday] Eve

Usage Note

Often capitalised when paired with a holiday name: Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve.

Common Mistakes

I will meet you on Monday eve at 6pm.
I will meet you on Monday evening at 6pm.
'Eve' refers to the night before a special occasion, not a regular weekday evening.

2. the time of day when the sky grows dark and daylight fades; a poetic or old-fash

2.nounC1
Definition

the time of day when the sky grows dark and daylight fades; a poetic or old-fashioned word for evening

Example

In old poems, the quiet eve is often described as a time of peace.

archaic/literary sense of 'eve' as 'evening'

The artist painted a scene of the city at eve, with lamps beginning to glow.

Synonyms
  • evening

    the standard modern word; 'eve' is a shortened older form of 'evening'

  • dusk

    refers specifically to the darker part of evening when the sun has fully set

  • twilight

    poetic; describes the soft diffused light around sunset, similar in register to 'eve'

Antonyms
  • dawn

    the opposite time of day — the first light of morning

  • daybreak

    the moment when the sun rises; contrasts with the fading light of 'eve'

Grammar Patterns

at eve

the eve

Usage Note

Now considered old-fashioned. 'Eve' for 'evening' survives mostly in poetry, song lyrics, and historical fiction. In everyday English, use 'evening' instead.

Common Mistakes

Let us go for a walk at eve.
Let us go for a walk in the evening.
Modern spoken English almost never uses 'eve' for 'evening'; the word sounds unnatural outside poetry.

3. in the Bible, the first woman created by God, who lived in the Garden of Eden wi

3.nounB2
Definition

in the Bible, the first woman created by God, who lived in the Garden of Eden with the first man, Adam

Example

According to the Bible, Eve was made from one of Adam's ribs.

proper noun — biblical character name

In the story, a snake persuaded Eve to eat fruit from the tree of knowledge.

Common collocations
  • Adam and Eve
  • the story of Eve
  • the temptation of Eve

Grammar Patterns

Adam and Eve

Eve as [symbol]

Usage Note

Like Adam, 'Eve' functions as a proper name and is always capitalised. In Western art and literature, Eve often symbolises curiosity, temptation, or the origin of humanity. Outside religious contexts, 'Eve' as a given name is also common in English-speaking countries.

Common Mistakes

In the Bible, eve ate the fruit.
In the Bible, Eve ate the fruit.
The biblical figure is a proper name and must be capitalised.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Eve' (sense 1) specifically refers to the day or evening directly before a holiday or important event. 'Night before' is the closest informal equivalent ('the night before the exam') but lacks the fixed compound uses (Christmas Eve). 'Day before' is broader — it includes the whole day, not just the evening. 'Lead-up' describes a longer period of preparation leading to an event (days or weeks), whereas 'eve' is a single point in time. 'Prelude' is more formal and suggests an event that signals the start of something, often used in music or metaphorical contexts ('a prelude to war'), while 'eve' stays literal and time-focused. Use 'eve' for fixed holiday compounds; use 'night before' or 'day before' in casual speech about non-holiday events.

night beforeday beforelead-up ↗prelude

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Christmas Eve
  • New Year's Eve
  • Halloween
  • eve of the election
  • eve of the wedding

Phrases

  • on the eve of [event]
  • [holiday] Eve

Prepositions

  • on the eve of

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'eve' comes from Old English 'æfen' (evening), which is also the root of 'evening'. By the 1200s, the shortened form 'eve' was used to mean 'evening'. Over time, people began using it to refer specifically to the night before a religious festival (like Christmas Eve), and later to the day or night before any important event. The biblical name Eve comes from a different source — the Hebrew name 'Chawwah', meaning 'living', which passed into English through Latin 'Eva' and Old French 'Ève'.

First known use

13th century

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun (2)