Synonyms

outshine

American

[out-shahyn] / ˌaʊtˈʃaɪn /

verb (used with object)

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)

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

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Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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.

Mr. Page and Ms. Faridany outshine most of their younger peers onstage in their fluent and lucid treatment of Shakespeare’s verse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Even typical supernovae can outshine entire galaxies for a time.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026

Steakhouse sides, for instance, routinely outshine the steak itself.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

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

The outer regions of the star may sometimes get blown off in a tremendous explosion called a supernova, which would outshine all the other stars in its galaxy.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

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