radiate

verb

ra·di·ate | \ˈrā-dē-ˌāt

radiated; radiating

Definition of radiate

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to proceed in a direct line from or toward a center

2 : to send out rays : shine brightly

3a : to issue in or as if in rays

b : to evolve by adaptive radiation

transitive verb

1 : to send out in or as if in rays

2 : irradiate, illuminate

3 : to spread abroad or around as if from a center

radiate

adjective

ra·di·ate | \ˈrā-dē-ət,

-ˌāt\

Definition of radiate (Entry 2 of 2)

: having rays or radial parts: such as

a : having ray flowers

b : characterized by radial symmetry : radially symmetrical

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

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Synonyms & Antonyms for radiate

Synonyms: Verb

branch, fan (out), ray

Antonyms: Verb

concentrate, converge, focus, funnel, meet

Examples of radiate in a Sentence

Verb

The pain was radiating down my arm. The sun radiates heat and light. Heat radiates from the sun.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Under ordinary conditions, the salt layer sits outside the graphene layer, which absorbs and radiates infrared light. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Salt-infused graphene creates an infrared cloaking device," 3 Aug. 2018 Video testimony and radiated relics from the day of devastation come from the museum’s archives and photogrammetry (the creation of 3D models using photography) allowed for digital reproductions of surviving sites. — Daniel Fernandez, Smithsonian, "This New Virtual Reality Experience Drops You In Hiroshima Right After It’s Been Bombed," 27 Apr. 2018 Dark matter doesn’t radiate significant heat, the way any complex biology or machine intelligence would. — NBC News, "What can a gorilla teach us about the search for space aliens?," 20 Apr. 2018 These particles may occasionally crash into each other and radiate light that is a billion times more energetic than visible light. — Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, "Mysterious Milky Way Signal Comes from the Past, Not Dark Matter," 13 Mar. 2018 The designer herself, whose co-hosts were Erin Carlson and Damion Matthews, flitted around greeting pals and radiating excitement. — Leah Garchik, San Francisco Chronicle, "At Uehara show, homage to fashion and to singing photographer," 11 Mar. 2018 Luckily, a wave of blue light-specific products that work to block the high-energy wavelengths radiating from the sun and your digital screens is hitting the skin-care world. — Macaela Mackenzie, Allure, "How Your Phone's Blue Light Could Be Damaging Your Skin, According to Derms," 19 Oct. 2018 So, in the end, the only way to control temperature is through changing how efficiently heat is radiated from surfaces. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Salt-infused graphene creates an infrared cloaking device," 3 Aug. 2018 The spark ignites in Jennifer Schriever’s lighting design, which makes sherbet orange and indigo radiate seemingly from the Angel herself, joining Faridany’s mellifluous voice, which charges every tone with a phalanx of heavenly grace notes. — Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, "Berkeley Rep revives ‘Angels in America,’ in all its soaring spirit," 29 Apr. 2018

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

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Statistics for radiate

Last Updated

1 Dec 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for radiate

The first known use of radiate was circa 1619

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More Definitions for radiate

radiate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of radiate

: to go out in a direct line from a central point or area

: to move in a specified direction from a source

: to send out (something, such as heat or energy) in rays

See the full definition for radiate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

radiate

verb

ra·di·ate | \ˈrā-dē-ˌāt

radiated; radiating

Kids Definition of radiate

1 : to send out rays : shine The sun was radiating in the sky.

2 : to come forth in the form of rays Light radiates from shining bodies.

3 : to go out in a direct line from a center Spokes radiate from the center of the wheel.

4 : to spread around from or as if from a center Word radiated that Royce McNabb had sent Ina-Rae Gage a valentine.— Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder

5 : to show very clearly She radiates confidence.