shine

verb \ ˈshīn \

Definition of shine

shone play \ˈshōn, especially Canadian and British ˈshän\ or shined; shining

intransitive verb

1 :to emit rays of light

2 :to be bright by reflection of light

3 a :to be eminent, conspicuous, or distinguished

shines in math

b :to perform extremely well

when will stocks really shine again?
—Temma Ehrenfeld

4 :to have a bright glowing appearance

his face shone with enthusiasm

5 :to be conspicuously evident or clear

transitive verb

1 a :to cause to emit light

b :to throw or direct the light of

2 past tense and past participle shined :to make bright by polishing

shined his shoes

See shine defined for English-language learners

See shine defined for kids

Examples of shine in a Sentence

The sun was shining through the clouds.
lamps shining from the windows
She found a sport where she can really shine.

Recent Examples of shine from the Web

Althoff has patiently waited for her year to shine in goal.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "2017 girls soccer preview," 30 Aug. 2017
Soulful plates are worth the quirks: Lamb ragù with pickled beet stems sits atop lush tahini, while roasted potatoes require only a squeeze of charred lemon to shine.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "4 New Restaurants to Try Right Now," 28 Aug. 2017
Prescott has continued to shine in training camp and the preseason.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Coaches, teammates say Dak Prescott poised for big sophomore season," 27 Aug. 2017
By the time the moon travels across and clears the other side of our Sun, a brand new post-eclipse light will begin to shine from our Sun.

— rebecca gordon, Harper's BAZAAR, "Your August 2017 Solar Eclipse Horoscope," 21 Aug. 2017
While Martin continued to shine as a pop crooner, a casually charming movie leading man, a TV variety host, and Frank Sinatra’s lieutenant in the Rat Pack, Lewis began proving himself a serious artist, in his uniquely unserious way.

— gary susman, HWD, "Jerry Lewis, Comedic Force of Nature, Dies at 91," 20 Aug. 2017
The lights are expected to shine down only on the field and have no glare, addressing concerns that residents in the surrounding neighborhood had for many years about having lights there.

— james weber, The Courier-Journal, "After 50 years of football, CovCath debuts stadium lights," 14 Aug. 2017
Keep two things in mind before reading my efforts to shine a light on this process.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "A Look at the Procedural Madness Ahead As the Senate Messes With Your Health Insurance," 25 July 2017
Outside, the stars have begun to shine through the brittle old trees.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "John McCain Walks on Water," 20 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of shine

Middle English, from Old English scīnan; akin to Old High German skīnan to shine and perhaps to Greek skia shadow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

shine Synonyms

Synonyms

beam, radiate, ray

Related Words

blaze, burn, fire, flame, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glister, glitter, glow, luminesce, sheen, shimmer; blink, coruscate, flare, flash, flicker, luster (or lustre), scintillate, spangle, sparkle, twinkle, wink, winkle; beat (down), glare; brighten, illuminate, illumine, irradiate, light, lighten; bedazzle, blind, daze, dazzle

Near Antonyms

blacken, darken; lower (also lour)

shine

noun

Definition of shine

1 :brightness caused by the emission of light

2 :brightness caused by the reflection of light :luster

the shine of polished silver

3 :brilliance, splendor

still has a shine about her

4 :fair weather :sunshine

rain or shine

5 :trick, caper —usually used in plural

6 :liking, fancy

took a shine to him

7 a :a polish or gloss given to shoes

b :a single polishing of a pair of shoes

See shine defined for English-language learners

Examples of shine in a Sentence

the shine of polished silver
He had a nice shine on his shoes.
Would you like a shine?

Recent Examples of shine from the Web

The vendors will be inside the Old Sheriff's House and the Old Jail, so this will be rain or shine.

— kitty conley, Post-Tribune, "Kitty Conley's Scratching Post," 28 Aug. 2017
Clinique's Oil Control Mattifying Moisturizer will hydrate your skin to keep it healthy, while the matte finish will dull the shine to keep you from looking like James Brown mid-concert.

— esquire editors, Esquire, "6 Moisturizers to Help Your Face Look Its Best," 21 Aug. 2017
The point is not to make something salty, but to add enough salt to make an ingredient shine.

— claire saffitz, Bon Appetit, "How Much Salt Should You Put in Pasta Water?," 15 Aug. 2017
That shine has totally faded.’’ Witte is a West Side lifer.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Even on the West Side, love for Pete Rose is fading," 5 Aug. 2017
Or, for a full on nail care kit, try Arianna's nail kit with cuticle oil, a miraculous nail buffer that creates lasting shine, and a smoothing mineral hand treatment.

— alanna greco, Marie Claire, "The Nail Shapes Dictionary: All the Need-to-Know Styles, from "Squoval" to "Coffin"," 28 July 2017
Undeterred, Mr Zhao still plans to roll out his scheme across the country, come rain or shine.

— The Economist, "Business this week," 13 July 2017
Let the wax dry for a few minutes, then use a clean cloth to buff it to a shine.

— peter martin, Popular Mechanics, "How To Choose the Right Wood Stain," 3 July 2017
The ride proceeds rain or shine and kicks off between 6:30-10:30 a.m. Over the years, the Club has had anywhere from 350 to 800 attendees turn out for the Century, which is open to everyone, including non-club members.

— cheryl petzel, Daily Southtown, "Club unites those who are crazy about cycling," 21 June 2017

First Known Use of shine

15th century

shine Synonyms

Synonyms

burnish, gloss, luminance, luster (or lustre), polish, sheen

Antonyms

aversion, disfavor, disgust, dislike, distaste, hatred, loathing, mislike

Related Words

glare, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glow, shimmer; blink, flicker, sparkle, twinkle; illumination, irradiation; iridescence, luminescence; brilliance, luminosity, radiance, radiancy, refulgence; finish, glaze

Near Antonyms

dimness, dinginess, dirtiness, drabness, dullness (also dulness), flatness; grayness, paleness; cloudiness, gloom, murkiness, obscureness, obscurity, somberness

SHINE Defined for English Language Learners

shine

verb

Definition of shine for English Language Learners

: to give off light
: to have a smooth surface that reflects light
: to be very good or successful at an activity

shine

noun

Definition of shine for English Language Learners

: the brightness that results when light is reflected from a surface
: the act of polishing a pair of shoes

SHINE Defined for Kids

shine

verb \ ˈshīn \

Definition of shine for Students

shone \ˈshōn\ or shined; shining

1 :to give off light

The sun is shining.

2 :to be glossy :gleam

He polished the silver until it shone.

3 :to direct the light of

Shine the flashlight in that corner.

4 :to be outstanding

She shines in sports.

5 :to make bright by polishing

shine shoes

shine

noun

Definition of shine for Students

1 :brightness from light given off or reflected

the shine of polished silver

2 :fair weather :sunshine

rain or shine

3 :²polish 1

My shoes need a shine.

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See words that rhyme with shine Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shine Spanish Central: Translation of shine Nglish: Translation of shine for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shine for Arabic speakers

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Synonyms

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shine

Definition of shine

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Recent Examples of shine from the Web

First Known Use of shine

shine Synonyms

Synonyms

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SHINE Defined for English Language Learners

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shine

Definition of shine for English Language Learners

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