sunset
sunset — adjective
1. describes a section inside a legal document that names a date or set of conditio
describes a section inside a legal document that names a date or set of conditions triggering the end of its legal validity
The trade agreement included a sunset clause that required renegotiation every three years.
collocation: sunset clause
Lawmakers added a sunset provision to the education law, requiring review after five years.
collocation: sunset provision
Without the sunset clause, the emergency powers would have remained in place indefinitely.
A zoning regulation with a sunset provision let the council review impact after three years.
- expiry
more general; not limited to legal documents (e.g. expiry date on a passport)
- termination
focuses on the act of ending rather than the mechanism that causes it
- permanent
a permanent law has no built-in expiry date
用法筆記
Always used before a noun such as clause, provision, or rule. This sense belongs to formal legal language; in everyday conversation, sunset time refers to the natural event, not to legal expiry.
常見錯誤
2. describes a specific date on which something, especially a law or a formal agree
describes a specific date on which something, especially a law or a formal agreement, must stop being in effect
The government grant had a December 31 sunset date, after which no funds could be spent.
collocation: sunset date
Tamar's work permit had a sunset date, so she applied for renewal before it expired.
The committee set a sunset date for the regulations, giving businesses two years to adapt.
Hyun's research grant had a sunset date, ending when the project year finished.
- expiration date
more common in everyday contexts; sunset date is specifically legal and formal
- open-ended
an open-ended agreement has no fixed termination date
用法筆記
Like the clause/provision sense above, this is always attributive (used before a noun, most commonly date). The thing that has a sunset date is typically a law, policy, permit, or funding programme.
常見錯誤
sunset — noun
1. the moment each day when the sun passes below the horizon and the sky gets dark
the moment each day when the sun passes below the horizon and the sky gets dark
Every evening, Mayumi and her grandfather watch the sunset from their front porch.
watch the sunset
The national park closes at sunset, so hikers must return before it gets dark.
at sunset
By sunset, the rescue team had reached the stranded climbers and provided medical aid.
Sophia planned her picnic for sunset because she loved the colours in the sky.
- sunrise
the time in the morning when the sun appears above the horizon
用法筆記
Can be used as an uncountable noun (sunset happens at a particular time) or a countable noun (each evening has one sunset, and you can talk about different sunsets on different days). The opposite is sunrise.
常見錯誤
2. the red, orange, pink, and golden colours that spread across the sky as daylight
the red, orange, pink, and golden colours that spread across the sky as daylight fades at the end of the day
The sunset over the ocean turned the sky into shades of orange, pink, and purple.
describing a colourful sunset
Selim took many photos of the stunning sunset during his Grand Canyon trip.
The artist's painting captured the warm colours of a desert sunset perfectly.
Tourists gathered on the hilltop to admire the sunset and take pictures before it faded.
- afterglow
refers specifically to the soft light in the sky after the sun has fully set; less common
- sunset colours
a descriptive phrase rather than a single word
用法筆記
This sense focuses on the visual beauty of the sky (the colours, clouds, and light), not just the time. You can say a sunset is beautiful, stunning, colourful, or describe its specific colours. A sunset in this sense can be counted: 'We saw three beautiful sunsets during our holiday.'
常見錯誤
sunset — verb
1. to make a law or formal agreement stop being in effect at a pre-arranged date, o
to make a law or formal agreement stop being in effect at a pre-arranged date, or to reach that end date and stop being in effect naturally
The old education law will sunset next year unless Congress votes to renew it.
intransitive use: law + sunsets
The government decided to sunset the emergency tax policy after the economic crisis ended.
transitive use: sunset [a law/policy]
Reema worried the healthcare plan would sunset before her father got the treatment he needed.
The temporary privacy law sunsets in 2027 unless Parliament votes to extend it.
用法筆記
This legal verb is almost always used in formal or official contexts — laws, regulations, tax policies, government programmes. It is very rarely used for personal agreements (contracts between individuals use expire instead). The transitive form (to sunset something) means someone actively decides to let it end; the intransitive form (the law sunsets) means it comes to an end automatically.