shine
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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shines,
present (3rd person singular)
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shone,
past participle, past
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shined,
past participle, past
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shining
present participle
-
to give forth or glow with light; shed or cast light.
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(of light) to appear brightly or strongly, especially uncomfortably so.
Wear dark glasses so the sun won't shine in your eyes.
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to be or appear unusually animated or bright, as the eyes or face.
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to appear with brightness or clearness, as feelings.
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to excel or be conspicuous.
to shine in school.
verb (used with object)
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shines,
present (3rd person singular)
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shone,
past participle, past
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shined,
past participle, past
-
shining
present participle
noun
verb phrase
idioms
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take a shine to, to take a liking or fancy to.
That little girl has really taken a shine to you.
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come rain or shine, Also
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regardless of the weather.
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no matter what the circumstances may be.
Come rain or shine, he is always on the job.
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noun
verb
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(intr) to emit light
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(intr) to glow or be bright with reflected light
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(tr) to direct the light of (a lamp, etc)
he shone the torch in my eyes
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(tr; past tense and past participle shined) to cause to gleam by polishing
to shine shoes
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(intr) to be conspicuously competent; excel
she shines at tennis
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(intr) to appear clearly; be conspicuous
the truth shone out of his words
noun
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the state or quality of shining; sheen; lustre
-
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whatever the weather
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regardless of circumstances
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informal short for moonshine
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informal a liking or fancy (esp in the phrase take a shine to )
Synonym Usage
Shine, beam, glare refer to the emitting or reflecting of light. Shine refers to a steady glowing or reflecting of light: to shine in the sun. That which beams gives forth a radiant or bright light: to beam like a star. Glare refers to the shining of a light that is not only bright but so strong as to be unpleasant and dazzling: to glare like a headlight.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shinesimple
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shinessimple
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have shinedperfect
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have shoneperfect
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has shinedperfect
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has shoneperfect
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am shiningprogressive
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are shiningprogressive
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is shiningprogressive
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have been shiningperfect progressive
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has been shiningperfect progressive
Past
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shinedsimple
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shonesimple
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had shinedperfect
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had shoneperfect
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was shiningprogressive
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were shiningprogressive
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had been shiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shine1
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb shinen, shinnen, Old English scīnan; cognate with Dutch schijnen, German scheinen, Old Norse skīna, Gothic skeinan
Origin of shine2
First recorded in 1935–40; by shortening
Explanation
To shine is to give off a bright, glowing light. Your porch light shines at night, and if the sky is clear and cloudless, the moon will shine too. The sun and a light bulb both shine, and things that simply reflect light can be said to shine too, like a diamond ring or clean, glossy hair. In a more figurative way, people shine when they stand out for doing something extremely well: "The lead actress really shines in her role as Lady Macbeth." The Old English root of shine is scinan, which means "shed light, be radiant, or illuminate," and also "be conspicuous."
Vocabulary lists containing shine
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Shein’s business model of selling massive amounts of cheap goods lost some of its shine as more countries started imposing tariffs on small packages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
"Dolly Parton's extraordinary legacy continues to shine through the official charts," noted Becca Monahan and Chris Austin, co-managing directors of the official charts company, in a joint statement.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
This strategy “is becoming increasingly critical and one that we believe will shine as we move further through today’s robust AI infrastructure buildout,” Muse said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Conventional systems typically shine laser light into a microresonator, a tiny structure built onto a microchip that traps light and allows it to circulate.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Color and shine are the next best thing to gold for a pixie, so we usually have more than our fair share”—she swatted one away—“but they’ve never been quite this bad.”
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
"A rhinestone shines just as good as a diamond."
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Watch highlights as Harry Brook shines in the Headingley gloom as England build a commanding 195-run lead over Pakistan on a shortened second day of the first Test.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Hubble and Webb observations showed that the nucleus shines more strongly in ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths than in visible light, which is also seen in distant little red dots.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
The album shines on its own strength, but having Beck on two tracks was a brilliant idea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
I wouldn’t have ever seen it if we were on Earth, but in Asamando—Autumn’s life force shines.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Though the rate of growth in the number of millionaires continues to be striking, UBS shined a light on adults with wealth between $5 million and $100 million.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
The instability of the water shined a light on areas of my body that were weaker than others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
At his best, he shined as an amazing example of Christian charity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Polymarket watchers shined a social-media spotlight on his successful bets in early January, within hours of the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
The houses on the opposite side were dark—except for one window, where a light still shined.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
The jump in U.S. borrowing costs—and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s intervention to bring them back down—has shone a spotlight not just on America’s growing debt problem but also on the world’s, reports Chelsey Dulaney.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
But Parton’s golden charisma shone ever brighter over the 218 episodes she appeared in until her departure in 1974.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
“ABDC” shone a spotlight on background performers and treated its participants with respect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
After their seasons of struggle at Tottenham and Chelsea respectively, few probably expected Porro and Cucurella to excel at this World Cup, but their competitive quality has shone in North America.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The air was hazy, but the sun shone.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
“The UC system has long been the shining beacon of higher education throughout the world,” the senators wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The little boy adds a bright rainbow, a shining sun and a tall tree to his illustration, while other displaced children paint alongside him at a shelter in Pereira.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
It became the flagship for hard-hitting independent journalism in Russia, shining a light on human rights abuses and high-level corruption.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
However, it is the primary suite that is undoubtedly the shining star of the home.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Here and there, the sun broke through the clouds and bright streaks came shining down like spotlights.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
