(often initial capital letter) the star that is the central body of the earth's solar system, around which the planets revolve and from which they receive light and heat: its mean distance from the earth is about 93 million miles (150 million km), its diameter about 864,000 miles (1.4 million km), and its mass about 330,000 times that of the earth; its period of surface rotation is about 25 days at its equator but longer at higher latitudes.
the sun considered with reference to its position in the sky, its visibility, the season of the year, the time at which or the place where it is seen, etc.
a star, especially one that has planets and other celestial bodies revolving around it.
Many other solar systems have multiple suns, while ours has just one.
sunshine; the heat and light from the sun.
to be exposed to the sun.
a figure or representation of the sun, as a heraldic bearing usually surrounded with rays and marked with the features of a human face.
something likened to the sun in brightness, splendor, etc.
Chiefly Literary.
clime; climate.
glory; splendor.
sunrise or sunset.
They traveled hard from sun to sun.
Archaic.
a day.
a year.
to expose to the sun's rays.
to warm, dry, etc., in the sunshine.
to put, bring, make, etc., by exposure to the sun.
under the sun, on earth; anywhere.
the most beautiful city under the sun.
place in the sun, a favorable or advantageous position; prominence; recognition.
The new generation of writers has achieved a place in the sun.
against the sun, counterclockwise.
with the sun, clockwise.
the star at the centre of our solar system. It is a gaseous body having a highly compressed core, in which energy is generated by thermonuclear reactions (at about 15 million kelvins), surrounded by less dense radiative and convective zones serving to transport the energy to the surface (the photosphere ). The atmospheric layers (the chromosphere and corona ) are normally invisible except during a total eclipse. Mass and diameter: 333 000 and 109 times that of earth respectively; mean distance from earth: 149.6 million km (1 astronomical unit)
any star around which a planetary system revolves
the sun as it appears at a particular time or place
the winter sun
the radiant energy, esp heat and light, received from the sun; sunshine
a person or thing considered as a source of radiant warmth, glory, etc
a pictorial representation of the sun, often depicted with a human face
poetic a year or a day
poetic a climate
archaic sunrise or sunset (esp in the phrase from sun to sun )
to become slightly sunburnt
a prominent or favourable position
nautical to measure the altitude of the sun in order to determine latitude
slight sunstroke
on earth; at all
nobody under the sun eats more than you do
to expose (oneself) to the sunshine
(tr) to expose to the sunshine in order to warm, tan, etc
Often Sun. A medium-sized, main-sequence star located in a spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, orbited by all of the planets and other bodies in our solar system and supplying the heat and light that sustain life on Earth. Its diameter is approximately 1,392,000 million km (865,000 mi), and its mass, about 330,000 times that of Earth, comprises more than 99 percent of the matter in the solar system. It has a temperature of some 5.7 million degrees C (28.3 million degrees F) at its core, where nuclear fusion produces tremendous amounts of energy, mainly through the series of reactions known as the proton-proton chain. The energy generated in the core radiates through a radiation zone to an opaque convection zone, where it rises to the surface through convection currents of the Sun's plasma. The Sun's surface temperature (at its photosphere) is approximately 6,200 degrees C (11,200 degrees F). Turbulent surface phenomena analogous to the Earth's weather are prevalent, including magnetic storms, sunspots, and solar flares. The Sun was formed along with the rest of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago and is expected to run out of its current hydrogen fuel in another 5 billion years, at which point it will develop into a red giant and ultimately into a white dwarf.
See Table at solar system See Note at dwarf star
The sun is about 4.5 billion years old and is expected to remain in its present state for approximately another six billion years; it will eventually evolve into a white dwarf.
First recorded before 900; Middle English sonne, sun(e), son(e), Old English sunne; cognate with German Sonne, Old Norse sunna, Gothic sunno; akin to Old Norse sōl, Gothic sauil, Latin sōl, Greek hḗlios, Welsh haul, Lithuanian saũlė, Polish słońce
The sun is the star that our planet revolves around. You might enjoy sitting under the sun on a tropical beach — but be sure to put on plenty of sunscreen. Our sun is more than 100 times larger than the Earth. If it weren't for the sun, the brightest object in our solar system, there would be no life on Earth: the light that the sun provides grows the food we eat and the heat of the sun keeps our environment warm enough to live. The sun is also responsible for the Earth's liquid water, which would be ice without it. As a verb, to sun means "to sit in the sun." The word comes from the Old English sunne.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As the sun dips below the horizon, a fleet of onlookers on jet skis and boats idle on the water to catch a peek of the vivacious scene.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
A hot sun beat down on the Pocomoke River when Tracy and Steve Hurley claimed choice seats two hours before the Aug. 15 showdown featuring 10 boats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
A few days later, rifling through my wallet, I passed a small red-and-gold card decorated with lucky cats and a rising sun.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
As the first ray of sun hit on an unexpectedly frosty August morning, a few hundred just-graduated Ukrainian paratroopers were traipsing across a corn and rapeseed field, preparing for their first jump.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
He stands, feet firmly planted on ground, his hand over his eyes blocking the blinding sun.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
“I knew of some really talented actors who were considered for Mama Sun. But Michelle just has a really innate, motherly quality. And she can also be really tough,” Jue says.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2024
“But I don’t work for the Mohegan Sun. I work for you.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2022
"My dad was in the stampede," Maguire told the Sun. external-link "It was not a nice experience - it shook him up. He said he was scared."
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2021
“I named it Sun. It lingered far longer than my friendship with the bride, and far far longer than her marriage,” she wrote.
From Fox News ● Dec. 25, 2019
“And you were right. It was incredible. I just— I felt so bad for Essa after the Battle for the Sun. But when leaving her best friend was the only way to save the kingdom?”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
At its peak, it temporarily radiated with the brilliance of about 10 billion suns.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
In Nepal's eastern plains, rival political flags depicting blue bells and red suns flutter over tea farms and brick homes -- symbols of a local election campaign shaping landmark nationwide polls.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
The background of the artwork echoes Van Gogh's Starry Night with two suns hanging in the sky that aim to represent the meeting of the two artists and their styles.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2025
Seems bright — a black hole flared with the light of 10 trillion suns.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025
A sphere two hundred light-years in radius contains 200,000 suns and perhaps a comparable number of worlds suitable for colonization.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
A barred owl hooted and shook its feathers in a sycamore above the creek, and red-bellied cooters sunned themselves on half-submerged logs.
From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2026
Backstage at the Blue Note jazz club, Wyclef Jean spreads out on a couch with the air of a sunned cat, his temperament dialed warm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
Because the home has been staged, buyers won’t be able to sit at the very kitchen table where the Kardashian clan gossiped over salads, or the poolside lounges where they often sunned themselves.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 17, 2026
She settled on a grassy knoll, sunned herself and took a nap.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2023
From the rear—particularly where his vertebrae were visible—he might almost have passed for one of those needy metropolitan children who are sent out every summer to endowed camps to be fattened and sunned.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
He can often be seen sunning himself on the dock, with other sea lions dozing or barking away nearby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
But pedestrians were again venturing outdoors: a father walking with his daughter on a scooter, children playing with a ball, or locals sunning themselves in a park.
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
In almost every case, they were nearly motionless at the surface, sunning themselves in the warm morning light.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2025
He has been to the spot where he was attacked at least 30 times and while he has seen alligators before, they usually are sunning on the back or stay far away.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
They tramped up a hill and down into a heavily wooded valley, careful to avoid the black-and-red-striped snakes sunning themselves on the rocks.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
