outshine
Americanverb (used with object)
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outshines,
present (3rd person singular)
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outshone,
past participle, past
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outshined,
past participle, past
-
outshining
present participle
-
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)
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outshines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
outshone,
past participle, past
-
outshined,
past participle, past
-
outshining
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to shine more brightly than
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(tr) to surpass in excellence, beauty, wit, etc
-
rare (intr) to emit light
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outshinesimple
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outshinessimple
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have outshinedperfect
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have outshoneperfect
-
has outshinedperfect
-
has outshoneperfect
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am outshiningprogressive
-
are outshiningprogressive
-
is outshiningprogressive
-
have been outshiningperfect progressive
-
has been outshiningperfect progressive
Past
-
outshinedsimple
-
outshonesimple
-
had outshinedperfect
-
had outshoneperfect
-
was outshiningprogressive
-
were outshiningprogressive
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had been outshiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outshine
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:
Nonetheless, Howe is confident that Netflix continues to outshine its competitors, noting that the streamer is still in a “growth mindset” that bets on original ideas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Second-generation black African immigrants also outshine most other demographic groups when it comes to educational attainment: Almost 60% have a bachelor’s degree and a mere 3.6% don’t finish high school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
"Don't outshine your master," Merezhko says, quoting from Robert Greene's 1998 self-help book, The 48 Laws of Power.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In the new normal, black gold may outshine the original.
From Barron's ● Apr. 6, 2026
Ernie was looking rather grumpy; determined to outshine Harry for once, he had most rashly invented his own potion, which had curdled and formed a kind of purple dumpling at the bottom of his cauldron.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
In his own vernacular, he "mogs" everyone he meets - he is so at the top of his game that he outshines everyone in his presence.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
The Paris he gives us might as well be cradled in a snow globe, it’s so schematically perfect; similarly, Ms. Kelly’s smile, which outshines the City of Light.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
Unlike the Milky Way, J0107a is enormous, and actually outshines all other early-Universe monster galaxies: it produces stars at a rate 300 times that of our Milky Way!
From Space Scoop ● Jun. 5, 2025
In a special episode of Money Talks, Emily Peck chats with writer/director Chloe Domont, whose feminist thriller Fair Play explores what happens when an ambitious woman outshines her well-meaning but insecure partner.
From Slate ● Mar. 12, 2024
“Ah, this jewel outshines them all. Come, would you like to see it?”
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Over the course of 2025, demand for second-home mortgages rose 4.1% from the previous year, a jump that outshined a 1% increase in primary-home mortgages.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Across the league, a new wave of quarterbacks outshined the old guard and wound up piloting the best teams in the sport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
Silver’s surge has even outshined gold, which is also near record highs after rising 70% this year.
From Barron's ● Dec. 29, 2025
Caramelized sweet potatoes, which are both syrupy and nutty in flavor, are practically outshined by the artificial, sugary sweetness of marshmallows.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2023
Sponsored by Kagen, the resolution recognized the accomplishments of the 13 women who outshined and outperformed their male counterparts—but were never allowed to fly into space.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
But the must-see band, currently on fire, were simply outshone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Dell Technologies shares have outshone many of the artificial-intelligence buildout’s most talked-about stocks so far this year, and they are heading even higher on Thursday.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Bouaddi controls matches in a manner which defies his tender age, impressing in Morocco's opening draw with Brazil where he outshone Casemiro and Bruno Guimaraes.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
But one skill of his outshone all the others: He could fire from anywhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Mediocre though it was, Jesse’s high school transcript outshone mine.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
The emergence of a new kind of online shopper, using these sites and willing to pay luxury prices for used pieces, has become so prominent that it is sometimes outshining the freshest runway trends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
"But what is special about MoM-BH*-1 is, the black hole star is essentially completely outshining its surrounding host galaxy, such that we're seeing pure black hole star light."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
Americans are rediscovering hybrid vehicles, which have turned into a bright spot for the U.S. car market — far outshining electric-only vehicles.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 5, 2026
What may be a worry bigger than SpaceX is OpenAI and Anthropic outshining each other.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Out on the kings- road, it had seemed to cover half the sky, outshining the crescent moon.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
