1
as in to educate
to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding
a favorite line of an Eastern Church hymn reads, "through fast-closed doors Thou camest Thy Disciples to illume"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to illumine
to supply with light
during the vigil service the church's Gothic interior was illumed by the light of hundreds of tapers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illume
Verb
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Signs educate guests on the process of how the agave is fermented with yeast in large tanks and wooden vats.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2026 -
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fantastic, illumined by periodic excursions into surrealism, as when the crew of a mysterious UFO boards a transpacific Kahuna Airlines jet midflight.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Geraldine walked over to Felix and Jane’s for fish soup, through long autumn shadows in the park, haze rising like smoke from the grass, illumined by the low sun.—
Tessa Hadley,
New Yorker,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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McDonald's teamed up with Netflix to launch two limited-time meals inspired by the film’s rival K-pop groups, HUNTR/X and the Saja Boys — complete with collectible photocards and exclusive digital content.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
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Namira lives in East Elmhurst, where several bus stops had recently been removed, disrupting her mother’s commute to Times Square and inspiring her to action.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Strings on folk or rock albums often exist to bolster melodies or add some easy drama; Eisenberg uses them as bursts of color, miniature sunsets briefly illuminating their melodies before sinking below the horizon.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
6 Apr. 2026
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During their closest approach to the moon, when the Orion capsule will fly about 4,070 miles away from the moon’s surface, around 21% of the moon's far side should be illuminated and visible to the astronauts, according to Kelsey Young, the Artemis II lunar science lead.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Yearning to light some tech on fire is a relatable feeling these days, as generative artificial intelligence promises to supplant nearly every form of non-physical labor, social media wreaks havoc on the mental health of young people, and massive data centers loom as environmental blights.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
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Balat then allegedly lit that device and ran with it before dropping it.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Illume.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illume. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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