shine
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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shines,
present (3rd person singular)
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shone,
past participle, past
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shined,
past participle, past
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shining
present participle
-
to give forth or glow with light; shed or cast light.
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(of light) to appear brightly or strongly, especially uncomfortably so.
Wear dark glasses so the sun won't shine in your eyes.
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to be or appear unusually animated or bright, as the eyes or face.
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to appear with brightness or clearness, as feelings.
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to excel or be conspicuous.
to shine in school.
verb (used with object)
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shines,
present (3rd person singular)
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shone,
past participle, past
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shined,
past participle, past
-
shining
present participle
noun
verb phrase
idioms
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take a shine to, to take a liking or fancy to.
That little girl has really taken a shine to you.
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come rain or shine, Also
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regardless of the weather.
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no matter what the circumstances may be.
Come rain or shine, he is always on the job.
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noun
verb
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(intr) to emit light
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(intr) to glow or be bright with reflected light
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(tr) to direct the light of (a lamp, etc)
he shone the torch in my eyes
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(tr; past tense and past participle shined) to cause to gleam by polishing
to shine shoes
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(intr) to be conspicuously competent; excel
she shines at tennis
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(intr) to appear clearly; be conspicuous
the truth shone out of his words
noun
-
the state or quality of shining; sheen; lustre
-
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whatever the weather
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regardless of circumstances
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informal short for moonshine
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informal a liking or fancy (esp in the phrase take a shine to )
Synonym Usage
Shine, beam, glare refer to the emitting or reflecting of light. Shine refers to a steady glowing or reflecting of light: to shine in the sun. That which beams gives forth a radiant or bright light: to beam like a star. Glare refers to the shining of a light that is not only bright but so strong as to be unpleasant and dazzling: to glare like a headlight.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shinesimple
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shinessimple
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have shinedperfect
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have shoneperfect
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has shinedperfect
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has shoneperfect
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am shiningprogressive
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are shiningprogressive
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is shiningprogressive
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have been shiningperfect progressive
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has been shiningperfect progressive
Past
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shinedsimple
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shonesimple
-
had shinedperfect
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had shoneperfect
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was shiningprogressive
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were shiningprogressive
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had been shiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shine1
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb shinen, shinnen, Old English scīnan; cognate with Dutch schijnen, German scheinen, Old Norse skīna, Gothic skeinan
Origin of shine2
First recorded in 1935–40; by shortening
Explanation
To shine is to give off a bright, glowing light. Your porch light shines at night, and if the sky is clear and cloudless, the moon will shine too. The sun and a light bulb both shine, and things that simply reflect light can be said to shine too, like a diamond ring or clean, glossy hair. In a more figurative way, people shine when they stand out for doing something extremely well: "The lead actress really shines in her role as Lady Macbeth." The Old English root of shine is scinan, which means "shed light, be radiant, or illuminate," and also "be conspicuous."
Vocabulary lists containing shine
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Here’s how to make your fresh herbs shine in any dish.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
“This historic opportunity will shine a global spotlight on our community,” the Aquatic Center proclaimed last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Bread is the first and last defense against sogginess, which is why sturdy loaves — focaccia, baguettes, bâtards, Italian bread — shine in beach-sandwich applications.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
"The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists."
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
The shine on the water made it look alive.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
It is in explication of his pleasant ideas that Mr. Epley really shines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
His lack of polish in speeches underscores his authenticity, and he shines in more intimate settings with voters, and in interviews.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
The Sun always shines in space and can’t be blocked by clouds.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
Open your eyes, her star still shines, take another look.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026
When she looks up at him, his soft blue eyes are bright in the afternoon sunlight that shines through the windows, illuminating the speckles of sawdust in the air.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Though the rate of growth in the number of millionaires continues to be striking, UBS shined a light on adults with wealth between $5 million and $100 million.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
In the end, the trial shined a light on how some of the most powerful people in Silicon Valley operated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
One light shined so brightly into her bedroom that she lost sleep until she installed blackout curtains.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Utility stocks haven’t shined since the Iran war broke out, but they can still offer safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
About a thousand years before Europe discovered toothpaste, Khosrou stepped onto a magic carpet that shined brighter than a meadow in May.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
“ABDC” shone a spotlight on background performers and treated its participants with respect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Koivun’s talent shone through and he sank the putt anyway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
An Italian court is set to rule Thursday in the case of a bridge collapse eight years ago which killed 43 people and shone a spotlight on Italy's crumbling infrastructure.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
When researchers positioned a white lamp so that its beam shone straight down, the isopods repeatedly gathered into large rotating circles.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
She pointed it so that the sun shone a bright beam on her kindling.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
Turns out, the city of stars is shining just for him; it just took a decade for his hand to find the spotlight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Flow batteries are seen as key to scaling up renewable energy, allowing it to be stored for when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Letterboxd was once a shining beacon among all of these horror stories, which already had their own unique problems before their formal acquisitions.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
A once-dull corner of the energy market is shining brighter than ever.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
When she had licked the last bloodred morsels of borscht from her whiskers, the wolf swept her shining eyes ’round the room.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
