outshine

American

[out-shahyn] / ˌaʊtˈʃaɪn /

verb (used with object)

outshone, outshined, outshining

to surpass in shining; shine more brightly than.
to surpass in splendor, ability, achievement, excellence, etc..

a product that outshone all competitors; to outshine one's classmates.

verb (used without object)

outshone, outshined, outshining

to shine out or forth.

a small light outshining in the darkness.

outshine British

/ ˌaʊtˈʃaɪn /

verb

(tr) to shine more brightly than
(tr) to surpass in excellence, beauty, wit, etc
rare (intr) to emit light

"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

Etymology

Origin of outshine

First recorded in 1590–1600; out- + shine ¹

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.

These quasars can shine so intensely that they outshine their entire host galaxy.

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

It felt as if the smaller Anthropic was on the ascent, threatening to outshine OpenAI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

City's attack is flowing, having scored 10 more goals than Arsenal, but having also conceded six more – you feel the title race could be defined by whether City's goals can outshine Arsenal's solidity.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

The study found that Grokipedia articles often "contain exactly identical copies of text" from Wikipedia, a site it has intended to outshine.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

Surely no other place on earth was more proud of its beauty than Venice, and as he watched its spires and domes, each caught the sun as if trying to outshine one another.

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023