sunlight

[suhn-lahyt]

See more synonyms for sunlight on Thesaurus.com

noun

the light of the sun; sunshine.

Origin of sunlight

First recorded in 1175–1225, sunlight is from the Middle English word sonneliht. See sun, light¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sunlight

Contemporary Examples

But the sunlight is threatening to fade and a three-and-a-half-hour river journey back to Kisangani looms.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway
Nina Strochlic
December 18, 2014
And as we left, spears of sunlight painted the top of the nearby volcano Galeras.
Spirit Tripping With Colombian Shamans
Chris Allbritton
August 24, 2014
Miles beneath the surface, in the absence of sunlight, animals derive energy from volcanic vents.
‘Mission Blue’ Warning: The Ocean Is Not Too Big to Fail
Sylvia A. Earle
August 15, 2014
Their small cell had just a tiny window to let some sunlight in.
Abducted, Tortured, Indoctrinated: The Tale of a Teen Who Escaped ISIS
Yusuf Sayman
August 4, 2014
Sunlight reflected from the mirrors heats the water and produces steam.
Renewables Can Make Fossil Fuel More Efficient
The Daily Beast
May 29, 2014

Historical Examples

When she woke it was to a blaze of sunlight, but caught in the net of her closed curtains.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
The ailanthus tree waved in the sunlight before the little house.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Either the sunlight or the shadow of the Republic must fall on her without intermission.
Ridgeway
Scian Dubh
But when we went back to the car he said to me that he would help me to get back into the sunlight.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
Beneath them the sword blades of the tribesmen glinted in the sunlight.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for sunlight

sunlight

noun

the light emanating from the sun
an area or the time characterized by sunshine

Derived Formssunlit, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for sunlight

n.

c.1200; see sun (n.) + light (n.).

sunlight

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}sunlight

Related Words

Examples from the Web for sunlight

Contemporary Examples

But the sunlight is threatening to fade and a three-and-a-half-hour river journey back to Kisangani looms.

And as we left, spears of sunlight painted the top of the nearby volcano Galeras.

Miles beneath the surface, in the absence of sunlight, animals derive energy from volcanic vents.

Their small cell had just a tiny window to let some sunlight in.

Sunlight reflected from the mirrors heats the water and produces steam.

Historical Examples

When she woke it was to a blaze of sunlight, but caught in the net of her closed curtains.

The ailanthus tree waved in the sunlight before the little house.

Either the sunlight or the shadow of the Republic must fall on her without intermission.

But when we went back to the car he said to me that he would help me to get back into the sunlight.

Beneath them the sword blades of the tribesmen glinted in the sunlight.

sunlight

Word Origin and History for sunlight

n.

Origin of sunlight