shine
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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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)
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
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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:
But the sprint stars are yet to shine.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
But the human writer still has to shine through even if they are getting a boost from AI, he added.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Martin has a ticket booth on the waterfront, and he goes out rain or shine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Pluribus” and “The Pitt” are expected to lead in overall nominations, with the latter poised to shine in the acting categories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Maybe this was her key’s chance to shine!
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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 always shines in space and can’t be blocked by clouds.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
But I love him best when he’s silly and sensitive and Tim Allen really shines at providing the spaceman with an emotional depth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
However, it also raises troubling questions for the booming high-altitude tourism industry, and shines a spotlight on the deadly risks Sherpas who work on Mount Everest face.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
In the entry, the bright October sun shines bright, warming the whole room.
From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome
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
At his best, he shined as an amazing example of Christian charity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
The public’s on-again, off-again interest kept Smart’s disappearance in the news sporadically, but a podcast called “Your Own Backyard,” begun in 2019 by Chris Lambert, shined a new spotlight on the cold case.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Utility stocks haven’t shined since the Iran war broke out, but they can still offer safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
That morning, Guiteau took a bath, put on a respectable suit, and had his shoes shined.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
Aged just 19, winger Diomande shone brightly but briefly at the World Cup, as Ivory Coast went out at the last-32 stage following defeat by Norway.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
When researchers positioned a white lamp so that its beam shone straight down, the isopods repeatedly gathered into large rotating circles.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
But the player who is perhaps not the biggest name in this Spain squad is the one who has so far shone the brightest - Mikel Oyarzabal.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Balogun may have shone in the US jersey, but if not for an accident of fate he wouldn't even be American.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
No lamplight shone through the window into the front yard.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
A once-dull corner of the energy market is shining brighter than ever.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 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
I hope they see the light shining on Ms. Colllins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
As they rotate, their powerful magnetic fields accelerate charged particles that slam into the expanding debris from the supernova, injecting extra energy that keeps the explosion shining much longer than expected.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
He had never in his life seen anything so shining.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
