bask

[ bask ]

See 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

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from 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. 2023

How to use bask in a sentence

Just look at this front-page Washington Post story: “Romney—now ‘one of the guys’—basks in new enthusiasm from GOP.”
Mitt Romney, Awesome Campaigner? | Howard Kurtz | June 19, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Let us go whither the stag rests at noonday in the shady groves, whither the heron bathes and the turtle basks in the sun.
'Midst the Wild Carpathians | Mr Jkai
He receives very large royalties and basks in the sunshine of his own hypocrisy.
Nat Goodwin's Book | Nat C. Goodwin
The bright snowy-looking place basks in the setting sun, while the tops of the red-tiled roofs seem to peep at us over the walls.
A Day's Tour | Percy Fitzgerald
Very quiet she is,—so quiet that a radiant butterfly has settled on her shoulder, and basks there in the warm sun.
On the Old Road Vol. 1 (of 2) | John Ruskin

The good old man is like some frail plant that trembles at a breath of wind and basks in the smallest gleam of sunshine.
The Works of Honor de Balzac | Honor de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for bask

bask

/ (bɑːsk) /

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

Origin of 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

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