(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.
“We have an abundance of renewables, and we’re doing good with procurement, but the sun sets, the wind doesn’t blow, and that’s where reliability and stability come into question,” Doyle said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Between the lack of sun below deck for some nonpilot personnel and rooms packed with triple-bunk beds, the conditions on vessels like the Lincoln can be difficult to bear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Alexis Milan waits with his blind 17-year-old son for the sun to disappear behind the horizon of Central Havana, so they can head to the roof.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
This summer, the U.S. approved Bemotrizinol, the first new ingredient approved by the FDA for sun protection since the late 1990s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
There are blinds on the window to shut out the glare of the sun.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“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
He turns up in Toronto to give a lecture, at a conference, notifying me in advance with a postcard of a statue of Paul Revere, from Boston: Arrive Sun. 12th.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
The holes in the colander will project a grid of crescent suns onto the ground.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 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
Current cutting-edge simulations can represent systems with the equivalent mass of about one billion suns, far below the more than 100 billion stars that make up the Milky Way.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 16, 2025
Seems bright — a black hole flared with the light of 10 trillion suns.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025
In Understanding Our Universe I read that stars are really distant suns.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
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
What were these captains of capitalism up to a couple of years ago as they sipped rum punches and sunned their backsides?
From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2019
He sunned himself in their new respect and felt that hunting was good after all.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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
Enjoy all the delights that Catalina has to offer, including hiking, kayaking and sunning yourself on the beach, before you start your journey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
Or they go on picnics, which is where we begin, on an idyllic afternoon, the Höss family picking berries and sunning themselves.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 27, 2023
Which is when I see the turtle, sunning itself on a rock.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
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.
