shine

¹ American  

[shahyn] / ʃaɪn /

verb (used without object)

shines, present (3rd person singular) shone, past participle, past shined, past participle, past shining present participle

1. to give forth or glow with light; shed or cast light.

   Synonyms:

   shimmer, glimmer

2. to be bright with reflected light; glisten; sparkle.

3. (of light) to appear brightly or strongly, especially uncomfortably so.

   Wear dark glasses so the sun won't shine in your eyes.

4. to be or appear unusually animated or bright, as the eyes or face.

5. to appear with brightness or clearness, as feelings.

6. to excel or be conspicuous.

   to shine in school.

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verb (used with object)

shines, present (3rd person singular) shone, past participle, past shined, past participle, past shining present participle

1. to cause to shine.

2. to direct the light of (a lamp, mirror, etc.).

   Shine the flashlight on the steps so I can see.

3. to put a gloss or polish on; polish (as shoes, silverware, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   brighten, burnish, buff

noun

1. radiance or brightness caused by emitted or reflected light.

2. luster; polish.

   Synonyms:

   sheen, glow, gleam, gloss

3. sunshine; fair weather.

4. a polish or gloss given to shoes.

5. an act or instance of polishing shoes.

6. Informal. a foolish prank; caper.

7. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.

verb phrase

1. shine up to

   1. to attempt to impress (a person), especially in order to gain benefits for oneself.

   2. to become especially attentive to (a potential romantic partner).

      Men shine up to her like moths to a light.

idioms

1. take a shine to, to take a liking or fancy to.

   That little girl has really taken a shine to you.

2. come rain or shine, Also

   1. regardless of the weather.

   2. no matter what the circumstances may be.

      Come rain or shine, he is always on the job.

shine ² American  

[shahyn] / ʃaɪn /

noun

Slang.

1. moonshine.

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shine British  

/ ʃaɪn /

verb

1. (intr) to emit light

2. (intr) to glow or be bright with reflected light

3. (tr) to direct the light of (a lamp, etc)

   he shone the torch in my eyes

4. (tr; past tense and past participle shined) to cause to gleam by polishing

   to shine shoes

5. (intr) to be conspicuously competent; excel

   she shines at tennis

6. (intr) to appear clearly; be conspicuous

   the truth shone out of his words

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noun

1. the state or quality of shining; sheen; lustre

2. 1. whatever the weather

   2. regardless of circumstances

3. informal short for moonshine

4. informal a liking or fancy (esp in the phrase take a shine to )

shine More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing shine

• make hay while the sun shines
• rain or shine
• rise and shine
• take a fancy (shine) to

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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

• unshined
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• shining
  present
• shined
  past
• shone
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shine
  simple
• shines
  simple
• have shined
  perfect
• have shone
  perfect
• has shined
  perfect
• has shone
  perfect
• am shining
  progressive
• are shining
  progressive
• is shining
  progressive
• have been shining
  perfect progressive
• has been shining
  perfect progressive

Past

• shined
  simple
• shone
  simple
• had shined
  perfect
• had shone
  perfect
• was shining
  progressive
• were shining
  progressive
• had been shining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shine
  simple
• will have shined
  perfect
• will have shone
  perfect
• will be shining
  progressive
• will have been shining
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

The statistics are impressive, but it is not to say he is overshadowed by Lamine Yamal, with the 18-year-old playing a key role in Oyarzabal being able to shine.

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026

Additional services, such as paint correction and ceramic coating intended to help protect the car’s finish and give it extra shine, can cost still more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

Rarely do these women ever get the chance to shine on their own without interference from their associates.

From Salon • Jun. 27, 2026

Both Honsal and Raymond said they hoped the investigation would shine a light on the broader problem of animal overpopulation in California.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026

Soon, it would clear the plateau behind us and shine into the gorge.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• beam
• blink
• burn
• dazzle
• flash
• flicker
• glare
• gleam
• glisten
• glitter
• glow
• illuminate
• radiate
• shimmer
• sparkle
• twinkle