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.

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

Related Words for bask

lounge, relax, laze, loll, sunbathe, savor, revel, relish, indulge, sun, enjoy, wallow, welter, rollick, luxuriate

Examples from the Web for bask

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of bask

But he will return some day to bask in the countenance of Muene-Motapa.
Sacrifice
Stephen French Whitman
After our long and restless journey, we bask in thy serene light.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 5, No. 5, May, 1864
Various
It is a happiness and satisfaction to know you, and to bask in the atmosphere of you.
Evening Round Up
William Crosbie Hunter
See the very bees and gnats, how they dance and bask in the sunbeams!
True Words for Brave Men
Charles Kingsley
We bask in its sunshine, growing strong and happy as we read.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 6, No 2, August, 1864
Various

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.