radiate
Americanverb (used without object)
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radiates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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.
-
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)
-
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
-
(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
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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:
The meteors appear to radiate from the constellation of Orion, which is where the shower gets its name, but they can appear anywhere across the night sky.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
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
I close my eyes, and radiate body heat.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Clad in a sleeveless bright green dress, Anderson, 57, radiates an ageless grace, undeniably sophisticated yet unpretentious in her demeanor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Splayed in an armchair in a Midtown Manhattan hotel with views of a fog-shrouded Rockefeller Center, Richards still radiates roguish, live-wire energy at 82.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 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
Stillness: this is what he radiates more than anything else.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
At its peak, it temporarily radiated with the brilliance of about 10 billion suns.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 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
She was a bag of doorknobs, but the movie camera found the gazelle inside the unicorn and captured the joy she radiated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 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
There was cold fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from Dumbledore as though he were giving off burning heat.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Lowrimore visited three different hospitals across both states over the following week as she began passing blood clots and the pain intensified, radiating up the left side of her body, according to the lawsuit.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The heat felt like 100 degrees radiating off the pavement.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
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
The 10 songs on “The Line of Time and the Plane of Now” — each recorded in only one take — mix folk, soul and jazz, radiating innocence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
She looked through the spyglass, and put the matter beyond doubt: it was a human figure, radiating Dust.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
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