outshine

[out-shahyn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR outshine ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), out·shone or out·shined, out·shin·ing.

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), out·shone or out·shined, out·shin·ing.

to shine out or forth: a small light outshining in the darkness.

Nearby words

Origin of outshine

First recorded in 1590–1600; out- + shine¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for outshine

Some followers have even hinted that “good divorces” outshine mediocre marriages.
Nasty Divorces’ Silver Lining?|Beverly Willett|May 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On that memorable evening the poet dressed to outshine every man present.
Eve and David|Honore de Balzac
All man wants is covering; a woman must have ornament, and she must equal, if not outshine, her neighbor.
Skookum Chuck Fables|Skookum Chuck (pseud for R.D. Cumming)
Lady Delacour, with no object in life but pleasure, cast aside her own happiness that she might outshine the woman she hated.
Woman's Work in English Fiction|Clara Helen Whitmore

"And we want to look as nice as possible, for Ida and Sylvie will do all they can to outshine us," added Maud.
Little Nobody|Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller
It seemed that the stars were devoured by the flame, so far did it outshine them.
Living Alone|Stella Benson

British Dictionary definitions for outshine

outshine

verb -shines, -shining or -shone

(tr) to shine more brightly than

(tr) to surpass in excellence, beauty, wit, etc

(intr) rare 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

Word Origin and History for outshine

outshine

1590s, from out (adv.) + shine (v.). Perhaps coined by Spenser. Figurative sense of "to surpass in splendor or excellence" is from 1610s. Related: Outshone; outshining.