bask
Americanverb (used without object)
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to lie in or be exposed to a pleasant warmth.
to bask in the sunshine.
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to enjoy a pleasant situation.
He basked in royal favor.
verb (used with object)
verb
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to lie in or be exposed to pleasant warmth, esp that of the sun
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to flourish or feel secure under some benevolent influence or favourable condition
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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basksimple
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baskssimple
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have baskedperfect
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has baskedperfect
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am baskingprogressive
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are baskingprogressive
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is baskingprogressive
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have been baskingperfect progressive
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has been baskingperfect progressive
Past
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baskedsimple
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had baskedperfect
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was baskingprogressive
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were baskingprogressive
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had been baskingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bask
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old Norse bathask “to bathe oneself,” equivalent to bath- bath 1 + -ask reflexive suffix
Explanation
To bask in something is to take it in, receive its warmth, or bathe in its goodness. On the first warm day of the spring, you may bask in the sunshine. When you win the Pulitzer, you bask in your own glory. In Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” Jaques says: “...As I do live by food, I met a fool; Who laid him down and bask'd him in the sun,; And rail'd on Lady Fortune in good terms...” That was most likely the first time bask was used in the way that we most often use it now: to bask is to warm yourself, either literally or figuratively, in the glow of the sun, good fortune, happiness, or a job well done.
Vocabulary lists containing bask
The Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer
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And Then There Were None
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This Week in Pop Culture: December 1 - 7, 2018
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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.
There’s ample media coverage of older Americans who bask in apparent paradise somewhere far from home.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026
While Netflix and the producers bask in the show's reception, viewers are already asking if there will be more seasons.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
And the U.S.-Iran talks held in Islamabad in April gave Pakistan a rare opportunity to bask in favorable international media coverage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
Instead, he was content to bask in the attention at the podium, while keeping his ambitions to himself.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
He will bask instead in the victory of seeing me run.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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.
