radiate
Americanverb (used without object)
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radiates,
present (3rd person singular)
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radiated,
past participle, past
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radiating
present participle
-
to extend, spread, or move like rays or radii from a center.
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to emit rays, as of light or heat; irradiate.
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to issue or proceed in rays.
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(of persons) to project or glow with cheerfulness, joy, etc..
She simply radiates with good humor.
verb (used with object)
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radiates,
present (3rd person singular)
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radiated,
past participle, past
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radiating
present participle
-
to emit in rays; disseminate, as from a center.
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(of persons) to project (joy, goodwill, etc.).
adjective
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radiating from a center.
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having rays extending from a central point or part.
a coin showing a radiate head.
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radiating symmetrically.
verb
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Also: eradiate. to emit (heat, light, or some other form of radiation) or (of heat, light, etc) to be emitted as radiation
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(intr) (of lines, beams, etc) to spread out from a centre or be arranged in a radial pattern
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(tr) (of a person) to show (happiness, health, etc) to a great degree
adjective
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having rays; radiating
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(of a capitulum) consisting of ray florets
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(of animals or their parts) showing radial symmetry
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adorned or decorated with rays
a radiate head on a coin
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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radiabilitynoun
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radiablenessnoun
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reradiateverb
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interradiateverb (used without object)
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antiradiatingadjective
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multiradiateadjective
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multiradiatedadjective
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nonradiatingadjective
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radiableadjective
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subradiateadjective
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unradiatedadjective
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radiablyadverb
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radiatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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radiatesimple
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radiatessimple
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have radiatedperfect
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has radiatedperfect
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am radiatingprogressive
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are radiatingprogressive
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is radiatingprogressive
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have been radiatingperfect progressive
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has been radiatingperfect progressive
Past
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radiatedsimple
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had radiatedperfect
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was radiatingprogressive
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were radiatingprogressive
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had been radiatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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, -ate 1
Explanation
When something radiates, it sends out waves or rays. The sun radiates light and warmth. If your house has a radiator, that might help you remember this word, because the radiator radiates warmth. Radiating is a concept that applies to anything that emits rays or waves. People camping make a fire so it can radiate light and heat. Our bodies radiate some heat, but not nearly as much as something as hot as a stove. If a nuclear reactor is damaged, it could radiate dangerous nuclear energy — or radiation.
Vocabulary lists containing radiate
Bud, Not Buddy
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Achievement First 6th Grade IA 1 Words
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"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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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:
In effect, the megastructure would absorb starlight, use that energy for whatever purpose its builders intended, and then radiate the excess as infrared heat.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
Cordido's eyes can't help but radiate with gratitude when he speaks about the volunteer rescuers who pulled him from the ruins of Venezuela's double earthquake, which killed more than 2,600 people.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
As I ambled past groups doing yoga and vacationing families lounging on the grass, pain started to radiate through my ankles and up my shinbones before settling uncomfortably in my hips.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
The joy that would radiate from a small child’s face when he or she learns they are getting a brand new bicycle was precious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
The longer the statue stood in Pompeii, the more anger it seemed to radiate, making Reyna’s skin itchy and her nerves raw.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
“She’s such a sort of undeniable positive energy that she just radiates all the time, which is so compelling and why people are so drawn to her.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
As a “heat dome” radiates across the US east coast, fans are turning up in record heat to cheer on their teams in the middle of the World Cup.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Durga Devi finds no relief after a day working in New Delhi's sweltering summer, because her poorly ventilated home radiates trapped heat, leaving her bedroom as hot as 45 degrees at night.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Teenagers everywhere fell under the spell of Rice’s vampires in the mid-‘80s with an ardor that AMC’s “The Vampire Lestat” radiates through the devotion of his superfans.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
When Leonardo is done, the angel radiates life.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
The resulting device can control the direction in which heat is radiated, switch that behavior on or off, and retain its configuration even after the power has been turned off.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
"You could really feel the love that he radiated towards his mum, dad and sister."
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
In 1967, his black evening gown with cape radiated simplicity in form and draping even as it also referenced the attire of Catholic priests.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
That pride radiated off of her in late March as she bounced around the Observatory stage like a lottery ball in an air blower.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
Occasional small circles radiated from the center of it.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
While the impact will not be visible from Earth with the naked eye, people with access to a sophisticated telescope may be able to see a flash radiating off the Moon's surface, Bothwell said.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Over the course of a month, notice which ingredients disappear almost embarrassingly fast and which ones slowly expire in the back of your crisper drawer while radiating guilt.
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
Styles has a knack for radiating charm, honed after years in the spotlight as a musician, and now with some notable acting roles under his belt, he’s more than primed for the stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
Her fossilized sea urchin, from a beach on the Red Sea, “responds by radiating its own inner joy at being found and loved too,” whispering: “We are two cyclical beings, each with their own story.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
She gets in my face, anger radiating off her in waves.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
