shine

¹ American  

[shahyn] / ʃaɪn /

verb (used without object)

shone, shined, shining

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)

shone, shined, shining

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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Related Words

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

• unshined adjective

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

Example Sentences

He should not be criticised for failing to shine as a false nine against Japan because it is a role he is unfamiliar with.

From BBC

The experiments revealed that shining light on the crystals causes their internal lattice to shift quickly.

From Science Daily

Head of service for Bradford District Museums and Galleries James Steward, said the project would "shine a light on Bradford's unique scientific heritage".

From BBC

But the Aston Villa player, who has shone as a number 10 during qualifying, will probably not be playing in that position when England kick off their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17.

From BBC

The van headlights shine on a deer grazing next to the dirt road that led to Sandy June’s on my previous couple of visits.

From Literature

Related Words

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