illumine

verb

il·lu·mine | \i-ˈlü-mən

\

illumined; illumining

Definition of illumine

transitive verb

Other Words from illumine Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about illumine

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Examples of illumine in a Sentence

small table lamps illumine the inn's dining room in a most romantic way readers of great literature are both entertained and illumined

Recent Examples on the Web

All are illumined by a searching intelligence and a willingness to test the boundaries of the short story form. — Martha Southgate, New York Times, "In Stories About Slavery and Its Legacy, Hints of the Author’s Life," 13 Apr. 2018 Another photographer whose images help illumine that dark chapter of American history is Ansel Adams. — National Geographic, "14 Photos That Illumine a Dark Chapter of U.S. History," 17 Feb. 2017 Fiery lightning almost constantly illumined the heavens.…The Gulf upon one side and the bay upon the other were advancing upon us. — Erick Trickey, Smithsonian, "A Hurricane Destroyed This Louisiana Resort Town, Never to Be Inhabited Again," 4 Jan. 2017 One picture from Friday night that went viral showed a man yelling, his face illumined by the light from his tiki torch. — Thomas Oide Toide@sacbee.com, sacbee, "Man in viral Charlottesville photo is a University of Nevada-Reno student," 13 Aug. 2017 Marianne Faithfull’s ‘Memories, Dreams and Reflections’ is a gem; her luminous words light up the book’s portraits and events in the way ‘Luncheon of the Boating Party’ is illumined by Renoir’s colors. — Peter Keepnews, New York Times, "Hot Tracks: Summer’s Big Books on Rock, Pop, Soul and Jazz," 30 May 2017 Another photographer whose images help illumine that dark chapter of American history is Ansel Adams. — National Geographic, "14 Photos That Illumine a Dark Chapter of U.S. History," 17 Feb. 2017 There was a 10-year stretch — roughly 1975 to 1985 — when the landscape of American literature was illumined and enriched and transformed forever. — Mary Gordon, New York Times, "‘LaRose,’ by Louise Erdrich," 16 May 2016 Fiery lightning almost constantly illumined the heavens.… — Erick Trickey, Smithsonian, "A Hurricane Destroyed This Louisiana Resort Town, Never to Be Inhabited Again," 4 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'illumine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Time Traveler for illumine

The first known use of illumine was in the 14th century

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