radiate

[ verb rey-dee-eyt; adjective rey-dee-it, -eyt ]

/ verb ˈreɪ diˌeɪt; adjective ˈreɪ di ɪt, -ˌeɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR radiate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), ra·di·at·ed, ra·di·at·ing.

to extend, spread, or move like rays or radii from a center.

to emit rays, as of light or heat; irradiate.

to issue or proceed in rays.

(of persons) to project or glow with cheerfulness, joy, etc.: She simply radiates with good humor.

verb (used with object), ra·di·at·ed, ra·di·at·ing.

to emit in rays; disseminate, as from a center.

(of persons) to project (joy, goodwill, etc.).

adjective

radiating from a center.

having rays extending from a central point or part: a coin showing a radiate head.

radiating symmetrically.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU GUESS THESE WORDS FROM AROUND THE US?

American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!

Question 1 of 10

A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?

Often it means something is impossible.

It’s another way to agree with someone.

It serves as an apology.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of radiate

First recorded in 1610–20, radiate is from the Latin word radiātus (past participle of radiāre to radiate light, shine). See radiant, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM radiate

ra·di·a·ble, adjectivera·di·a·bil·i·ty, ra·di·a·ble·ness, nounra·di·a·bly, ra·di·ate·ly, adverban·ti·ra·di·at·ing, adjective

in·ter·ra·di·ate, verb (used without object), in·ter·ra·di·at·ed, in·ter·ra·di·at·ing.mul·ti·ra·di·ate, adjectivemul·ti·ra·di·at·ed, adjectivenon·ra·di·at·ing, adjectivere·ra·di·ate, verb, re·ra·di·at·ed, re·ra·di·at·ing.sub·ra·di·ate, adjectiveun·ra·di·at·ed, adjective

Words nearby radiate

radiant heat, radiant heating, radiant intensity, Radiata, radiata pine, radiate, radiate crown, radiate ligament of rib, radiation, radiational cooling, radiation belt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for radiate

Her hair tightly tied and her focused eyes radiating passion, the Hungarian minister of justice looks and plays like a professional.
Meet the ‘Charm Cannon’ for Hungary’s Regime|Pallabi Munsi|October 25, 2020|Ozy
The materials are designed to emit radiation in a narrow band of the light spectrum that can slip past water molecules and other atmospheric compounds that otherwise radiate heat back toward the planet.
Air conditioning technology is the great missed opportunity in the fight against climate change|James Temple|September 1, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Our fancy chemical metabolism sheds energy as heat, radiating photons off into the environment.
The Universe Has Made Almost All the Stars It Will Ever Make - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Caleb Scharf|August 19, 2020|Nautilus
Carbon dioxide molecules absorb infrared radiation, so with more of them in the atmosphere, they trap more of the heat radiating off the planet’s surface below.
How Earth’s Climate Changes Naturally (and Why Things Are Different Now)|Howard Lee|July 21, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Take Hoyal Cuthill’s recent work on rangeomorphs, fernlike animals that could grow to more than six feet tall, with fractal, branching fronds that radiated from a central stem attached to the seafloor.
What Is an Individual? Biology Seeks Clues in Information Theory.|Jordana Cepelewicz|July 16, 2020|Quanta Magazine
The Germans radiate a kind of discipline; passes are firm and accurate and every movement seems to have a purpose.
Home of the (Footballing) Brave: The U.S. Bested Britain in World Cup Spirit|Emma Woolf|July 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These were the days before Twitter, of course, when rumors metastasized and took slightly longer to radiate.
Boston Marathon Bombing Media Errors Pile Up, as Does the Outrage|Michael Moynihan|April 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When you bring people together they are able to radiate their truth.
Why Voters Attend Final-Days Campaign Rallies|David Freedlander|November 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I'd radiate like mad; I'd complain about the situation at every crossroad, at every filling station, before every farmer.
Highways in Hiding|George Oliver Smith
Some radiate a feeling of energy, activity, etc., while others manifest just the reverse.
Dynamic Thought|William Walker Atkinson
All souls first illuminate the sky, and radiate from it their first and purest rays; the remainder is lit up by inferior powers.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 2|Plotinos (Plotinus)
There is, however, a radiate symmetry—a five-fold arrangement of parts, though not so regular as in most echinoderms.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux
From Lincoln also radiate the lines of five main roads, constructed, where they cross the marshes, on solid causeways.
The Rivers of Great Britain: Rivers of the East Coast|Various

British Dictionary definitions for radiate

radiate

verb (ˈreɪdɪˌeɪt)

Also: eradiate to emit (heat, light, or some other form of radiation) or (of heat, light, etc) to be emitted as radiation

(intr) (of lines, beams, etc) to spread out from a centre or be arranged in a radial pattern

(tr) (of a person) to show (happiness, health, etc) to a great degree

adjective (ˈreɪdɪɪt, -ˌeɪt)

having rays; radiating

(of a capitulum) consisting of ray florets

(of animals or their parts) showing radial symmetry

adorned or decorated with raysa radiate head on a coin

Word Origin for radiate

C17: from Latin radiāre to emit rays

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

Medical definitions for radiate

radiate

[ rā′dē-āt′ ]

v.

To spread out in all directions from a center.

To emit or be emitted as radiation.

Other words from radiate

ra′di•a′tive adj.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

radiate

verb (used without object), ra·di·at·ed, ra·di·at·ing.