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

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

Most neutron stars remain hidden unless they appear as pulsars that emit radio waves or shine brightly in X-rays.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2026

Tammy Wynette had it; just listen to her mourn how “the sun will never shine in Apartment #9” and your ear will catch the throb in her throat that echoes the song’s steel guitar.

From Salon • May 15, 2026

Shares of Cerebras Systems fell in early trading Friday, to take some of the shine of the the inference-chip maker’s blowout debut in the previous session.

From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026

Another holidaymaker said he had just recently returned from Antalya in Turkey where the dawn reserving of sun loungers with towels had "really taken the shine out of the holiday".

From BBC • May 10, 2026

It was a little wooden fish painted dark green on top and light pink on bottom, with red lips and round eyes finished with cute curling eyelashes, all lacquered to a high shine.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

Related Words

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