sunburst

[suhn-burst]

noun

a burst of sunlight; a sudden shining of the sun through rifted clouds.

a firework, piece of jewelry, ornament, or the like, resembling the sun with rays issuing in all directions.

adjective

Sewing. sewn or made to resemble a sunburst; having the rays or lines of design flared from a central point: sunburst pleats; sunburst tucks.

Nearby words

Origin of sunburst

First recorded in 1810–20; sun + burst

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sunburst

With a report like a shot from a gun, the main-gafftopsail split, and within a moment slatted into a sunburst of ribboned rags.
The Viking Blood|Frederick William Wallace
A shadow fell, and Brotherton greeted Captain Morton, in a sunburst of mauve tailoring.
In the Heart of a Fool|William Allen White
Take my advice, Mrs. Falchion, and come to Sunburst and see the salmon-fishers at work, both day and night.
Mrs. Falchion, Complete|Gilbert Parker
The sunburst, after so long and dark a night, must needs have had a dazzling effect.
Looking Backward|Edward Bellamy

There would have been a sunburst of notoriety in the capture and carrying off of the beautiful Countess of Ormont.
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete|George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for sunburst

sunburst

noun

a burst of sunshine, as through a break in the clouds

a pattern or design resembling that of the sun

a jewelled brooch with this pattern

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012