Morning and evening; the daily routine of spending one's days the same way (often used idiomatically).
彼は朝明け暮れ同じカフェで新聞を読んでいる。
He reads the newspaper at the same café morning and evening.
都会での明け暮れが、田舎の静けさを恋しくさせることもある。
The daily routine in the city can sometimes make one miss the quiet of the countryside.
「明け暮れ」は文語的な響きがあるので、口語では「毎日」や「昼夜」と言うことが多い。
'Akekure' has a literary tone, so in spoken language people often say 'mainichi' (every day) or 'chūya' (day and night).
Used in the pattern '〜に明け暮れる', meaning to spend all one's time doing something; to be absorbed in something day in, day out.
彼は仕事に明け暮れて、趣味の時間がほとんどない。
He spends all his time working and has almost no time for hobbies.
学生時代はゲームに明け暮れてしまい、勉強がおろそかになった。
In my student days I spent all my time on games and neglected studying.
週末は掃除や洗濯に明け暮れた。
I spent the weekend doing nothing but cleaning and laundry.
As an adverb meaning all the time, always, or constantly (e.g., 'working day and night').
彼は明け暮れ働いて体を壊した。
He worked day and night and ruined his health.
子供たちは夏休みに明け暮れ外で遊んでいた。
The children played outside all the time during summer vacation.
彼女は勉強に明け暮れ、試験に合格した。
She studied nonstop and passed the exam.