bask

[bask, bahsk]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bask ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to lie in or be exposed to a pleasant warmth: to bask in the sunshine.

to enjoy a pleasant situation: He basked in royal favor.

verb (used with object)

Obsolete. to expose to warmth or heat.

Nearby words

Origin of bask

1350–1400; Middle English < Old Norse bathask to bathe oneself, equivalent to bath- bath¹ + -ask reflexive suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bask

Five days, also, in which to bask in their own impressive achievements.
Bring It On! Team USA Progresses to Round 2|Tunku Varadarajan|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He'll talk up his Senate ambitions for awhile, bask in the political limelight, and then stick with his current shtick.
Senator Geraldo Rivera? Seems Unlikely the Fox News Pundit Will Run|Howard Kurtz|February 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Even on Labor Day, while we bask in the blinding sun one last time.
Labor Day: What Does ‘Labor’ Mean, Anyway?|D.W. Gibson|September 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
None of the hoopla seemed to have fazed the Iranian president, who loves to bask in controversy during his U.S. visits.
Ahmadinejad Basks in His Own Glory|Babak Dehghanpisheh|September 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Allow yourself to bask in the glory of scored achievements, taking a breather from attacking new goals.
What the Stars Hold for Your Week|Starsky + Cox|July 8, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He was talking on in order that he might continue to bask in the beauty of the face that looked straight at him.
Geoffrey Hampstead|Thomas Stinson Jarvis
He, wishing doubtless to bask in it to the fullest extent, produced his book of tickets.
A Voyage of Consolation|Sara Jeannette Duncan
And with this she left him to bask in the hero-worship which the approaching Mrs. Cole-Mortimer would lavish upon him.
The Angel of Terror|Edgar Wallace
It was better to bask as a Marquis in the sunshine of the south than to be cold-shouldered as a plebeian in stately Castile.
South America|W. H. Koebel
The old soldier and pioneer loved to take the children on his knees and bask in the light of the fire.
A Daughter of the Middle Border|Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for bask

bask

verb (intr usually foll by in)

to lie in or be exposed to pleasant warmth, esp that of the sun

to flourish or feel secure under some benevolent influence or favourable condition

Word Origin for bask

C14: from Old Norse bathask to bathe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bask

late 14c., basken "to wallow (in blood)," with loss of middle syllable, from Old Norse baðask "to bathe oneself," reflexive of baða "bathe" (see bathe). Modern meaning "soak up a flood of warmth" is apparently due to Shakespeare's use of the word in reference to sunshine in "As You Like It" (1600). Related: Basked; basking.