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
-
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
-
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
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
Here’s how to make your fresh herbs shine in any dish.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
Joel Drakes-Thomas was one of those to shine as, aged 16 years and 192 days, he made his senior debut in the 2-2 draw with Finnish side KuPS, producing a player-of-the-match performance.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Bread is the first and last defense against sogginess, which is why sturdy loaves — focaccia, baguettes, bâtards, Italian bread — shine in beach-sandwich applications.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
"The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists."
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
I had seen the glint of it, the shine.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
The album shines on its own strength, but having Beck on two tracks was a brilliant idea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
That combination of modern and classic combat is a good example of where the game shines.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The homicides, however, had occurred during the period when the sun shines continuously for more than 80 days, making it difficult to establish a clear chronology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
His lack of polish in speeches underscores his authenticity, and he shines in more intimate settings with voters, and in interviews.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
The sun shines brightly, but the last gasp of winter air makes the day feel chilly.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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
Meanwhile, details tucked into the SpaceX IPO prospectus made public in late May shined light onto early steps by the company to rent computing power to customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
Primm once shined as one of Nevada’s more popular gambling resorts.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Spirit never won any customer-service contests or shined in the WSJ’s annual airline rankings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
The sun shined red behind a dusty mountain.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
“ABDC” shone a spotlight on background performers and treated its participants with respect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Koivun’s talent shone through and he sank the putt anyway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
An Italian court is set to rule Thursday in the case of a bridge collapse eight years ago which killed 43 people and shone a spotlight on Italy's crumbling infrastructure.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
A breakout 2023-24 season with Barcelona ended with him being included in Spain's Euro 2024 squad, and like Mbappe in 2018, he shone in his first major tournament and inspired his team to glory.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
She shone it on me and then turned it off, but I could hear her footsteps crunching over glass as she ran toward me “You’ve come,” she said, covering me with kisses.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Turns out, the city of stars is shining just for him; it just took a decade for his hand to find the spotlight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Letterboxd was once a shining beacon among all of these horror stories, which already had their own unique problems before their formal acquisitions.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
A once-dull corner of the energy market is shining brighter than ever.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Simply shining blue light onto the mice triggered the same scratching behavior seen during mechanical stimulation, providing strong evidence that these neurons directly produce the itch sensation.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
Six shining eyes gazed longingly at the forest; at least, that is what she imagined the children felt.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
