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.
See Examples For:
As the fireworks clear from Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina Sunday, let’s take a moment to bask in the afterglow and pungent ranch dressing burps of the just-completed 2026 North American World Cup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
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
Instead, he was content to bask in the attention at the podium, while keeping his ambitions to himself.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Later, he had heard, she had proceeded to Syria where she proposed to bask in a yet stronger sun and live at one with Nature and the bedouin.
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
For all his talk of how draining the job is - and that much is beyond dispute - he clearly basks in it.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
While Guy basks in professional success, Rosemary begins to wilt, enduring intense pain and flashbacks to a nightmare she had on the night of conception.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2025
Nearby, his signature Soliarc Chaise Lounge basks in the sun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025
Kali Uchis basks in pleasure on her fourth studio album, “Orquídeas.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
He whispers in her ear, and she basks in the attention, trumpeting happily at the sight of him.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Greenspan basked in the credit for the booms that unfolded under his watch, and chafed at the blame heaped on him for the financial collapse that unfolded shortly after he left office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
With a broad smile, he took in the scene and basked in the adulation of a crowd that viewed him as a hero.
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
Foggy skies have shrouded parts of Tyne and Wear, while Cumbria and County Durham basked in sunshine.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026
South Korean fans and media basked in the success of "KPop Demon Hunters" on Monday after the film clinched two Oscars and added to the country's growing pantheon of cultural hits.
From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026
With the perfect freeze-frame of me and Mom sitting in the booth together while I basked in her undivided attention.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
“We take comfort in knowing that somewhere he is out there fishing, telling a funny story and basking in the love of his friends and family.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
Shares could also basking in the glow of the major cybersecurity conference CyberArk Impact 2026, she said.
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
The region was already basking in a golden glow after Royal Portrush's successful hosting of The Open last year.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026
The team combined these findings, including data from massive basking sharks weighing up to 3.5 tonnes, with hundreds of laboratory measurements from smaller species.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 18, 2026
Unafraid of the girls, One Horn stepped out onto the path and stood alert in the early light, basking a little, warming his coat.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
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.
