radiate
Americanverb (used without object)
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radiates,
present (3rd person singular)
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radiated,
past participle, past
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radiating
present participle
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to extend, spread, or move like rays or radii from a center.
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to emit rays, as of light or heat; irradiate.
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to issue or proceed in rays.
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(of persons) to project or glow with cheerfulness, joy, etc..
She simply radiates with good humor.
verb (used with object)
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radiates,
present (3rd person singular)
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radiated,
past participle, past
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radiating
present participle
-
to emit in rays; disseminate, as from a center.
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(of persons) to project (joy, goodwill, etc.).
adjective
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radiating from a center.
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having rays extending from a central point or part.
a coin showing a radiate head.
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radiating symmetrically.
verb
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Also: eradiate. to emit (heat, light, or some other form of radiation) or (of heat, light, etc) to be emitted as radiation
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(intr) (of lines, beams, etc) to spread out from a centre or be arranged in a radial pattern
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(tr) (of a person) to show (happiness, health, etc) to a great degree
adjective
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having rays; radiating
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(of a capitulum) consisting of ray florets
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(of animals or their parts) showing radial symmetry
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adorned or decorated with rays
a radiate head on a coin
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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radiabilitynoun
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radiablenessnoun
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reradiateverb
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interradiateverb (used without object)
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antiradiatingadjective
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multiradiateadjective
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multiradiatedadjective
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nonradiatingadjective
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radiableadjective
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subradiateadjective
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unradiatedadjective
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radiablyadverb
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radiatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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radiatesimple
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radiatessimple
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have radiatedperfect
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has radiatedperfect
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am radiatingprogressive
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are radiatingprogressive
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is radiatingprogressive
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have been radiatingperfect progressive
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has been radiatingperfect progressive
Past
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radiatedsimple
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had radiatedperfect
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was radiatingprogressive
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were radiatingprogressive
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had been radiatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of radiate
First recorded in 1610–20, radiate is from the Latin word radiātus (past participle of radiāre to radiate light, shine). See radiant, -ate 1
Explanation
When something radiates, it sends out waves or rays. The sun radiates light and warmth. If your house has a radiator, that might help you remember this word, because the radiator radiates warmth. Radiating is a concept that applies to anything that emits rays or waves. People camping make a fire so it can radiate light and heat. Our bodies radiate some heat, but not nearly as much as something as hot as a stove. If a nuclear reactor is damaged, it could radiate dangerous nuclear energy — or radiation.
Vocabulary lists containing radiate
Bud, Not Buddy
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Achievement First 6th Grade IA 1 Words
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"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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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:
Charged‑up walls radiate warmth back into rooms that never get the chance to cool.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
In effect, the megastructure would absorb starlight, use that energy for whatever purpose its builders intended, and then radiate the excess as infrared heat.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
Cordido's eyes can't help but radiate with gratitude when he speaks about the volunteer rescuers who pulled him from the ruins of Venezuela's double earthquake, which killed more than 2,600 people.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
As I ambled past groups doing yoga and vacationing families lounging on the grass, pain started to radiate through my ankles and up my shinbones before settling uncomfortably in my hips.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
Happiness seemed to radiate from Dumbledore like light, like fire: Harry had never seen the man so utterly, so palpably content.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Durga Devi finds no relief after a day working in New Delhi's sweltering summer, because her poorly ventilated home radiates trapped heat, leaving her bedroom as hot as 45 degrees at night.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
"Killer heat warnings" reads the Metro's headline, as Western Europe's "heat dome" covering Italy, Spain and France radiates across the English Channel.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Teenagers everywhere fell under the spell of Rice’s vampires in the mid-‘80s with an ardor that AMC’s “The Vampire Lestat” radiates through the devotion of his superfans.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
Ms. Field radiates palpable contempt that matches Iago’s—she’s almost as menacing as he is.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
He radiates power, his dark eyes shrewd and intelligent.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
The resulting device can control the direction in which heat is radiated, switch that behavior on or off, and retain its configuration even after the power has been turned off.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
"You could really feel the love that he radiated towards his mum, dad and sister."
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
In 1967, his black evening gown with cape radiated simplicity in form and draping even as it also referenced the attire of Catholic priests.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
Even with my limited knowledge, the mountain radiated a kind of gravity, as though the desert itself were remembering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026
Dark seams radiated outwards like a shotgun blast of ink, as if Nico’s body were trying to expel all the shadows he’d travelled through.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
The heat felt like 100 degrees radiating off the pavement.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
While the impact will not be visible from Earth with the naked eye, people with access to a sophisticated telescope may be able to see a flash radiating off the Moon's surface, Bothwell said.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Instead of simply radiating outward, thermal energy can effectively tunnel across the narrow gap through electromagnetic waves.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026
Buses are infrequent and haphazard, while the subway has only six trundling lines radiating out from the centre, making connections impossible without going all the way in and then all the way out again.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Noah’s application to CSA had been sitting on the kitchen counter radiating genius since the week before Mom died.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
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.
