Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for sunbathe. Search instead for sandbathe.
Synonyms

sunbathe

American  
[suhn-bayth] / ˈsʌnˌbeɪð /

verb (used without object)

  • sunbathes,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • sunbathed,
    past participle,  past
  • sunbathing
    present participle
  1. to take a sunbath.


sunbathe British  
/ ˈsʌnˌbeɪð /

verb

  1. (intr) to bask in the sunshine, esp in order to get a suntan

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future


Etymology

Origin of sunbathe

First recorded in 1590–1600; sun + bathe


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:

Seals swam by, one hauling itself up to sunbathe on a fishing boat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025

Visitors can sunbathe on the sandy shores, dance to R&B music, eat barbecue and enjoy restaurants along the beach’s strip.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2023

The mammal rose to fame after clambering onto boats to sunbathe - sometimes sinking them.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2023

At the time, two years before civil war erupted, their country was mainly known as a tourist attraction where visitors came to party, visit archaeological sites, ski on snow-capped mountains or sunbathe on sandy beaches.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 10, 2023

That beach is filthy now, but back then people used to go swimming there and sunbathe on the sand.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

Across the room, a Wassily-style chair sunbathes in the corner, with a handmade burgundy leather base and back, studs running along the seams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2024

A woman sunbathes in front of the city of London financial district in London, Britain, May 18, 2022.

From Reuters ● Jun. 10, 2022

We watch her float in the sea, write and read while she sunbathes, eat ice cream, unfurl into an uneasy relaxation.

From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2021

The only one I ever see around is their bored teenager who sunbathes all the time.

From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2016

Then it sleeps, eats, and sunbathes until it’s ready to flower— a teenage plant.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Apparently, this sunbathed land was as popular with interlopers in prehistory as it is now, and Portugal still boasts a large share of archaeological evidence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

We hung out by this beautiful pool and we just sunbathed on the beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2024

Gas from the sunbathed, sublimating ice also puffs intermingled dust away from the surface to form a distinctive, comet-trailing tail.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 26, 2023

In the daytime, the women went on epic shopping sprees and sunbathed as the paparazzi snapped away.

From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2022

She sunbathed endlessly, but her skin stayed the same copper-tinged shade, even as it became more and more dried out.

From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat

Oura’s new ad campaign depicts human hands not just running or sleeping with the brand’s smart ring but waiting for the subway, sunbathing and getting an ultrasound.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

His daughter, Gabriela, has 473,000 followers on an Instagram page that shows her surfing and sunbathing around Maui.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Many would-be visitors are attracted to Dubai's image of a luxurious lifestyle: influencers posting videos online of rooftop pools and supercars parked outside five-star hotels, and tourists sunbathing on private beaches.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

Vaughan had been on the boat with her husband and two children, aged 12 and eight, and had been sunbathing when the motorboat crashed into a sailboat carrying party-goers.

From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025

No sunbathing, no singing, no lovers strolling the ramparts in the evenings—such rules are not written down, but they may as well be.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com