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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The practice was particularly used by patrolling troops during World War II, according to Smith, who has educated himself in the sport’s long history.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026 -
Jackson’s advocacy brought him to the Bay Area on many occasions to support local issues, meet and educate young people and speak to local leaders and organizations.—
Laura A. Oda,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These fruits are tiny stars, planets in arm’s reach, little moons reddened by desire and cunning, the sun, at each step, illumines the petals of the dogwood flowers, their bright yellow is dimmed by no leaf, on their still-bare branches the first fissure in winter opens up by magic.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2025
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Rev 21:10), an ark of salvation sailing through the waters of history and a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world.—
Daniel Burke,
NPR,
9 May 2025
Verb
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While it was made in the ‘90s, the collection (which showed slip dresses, shirts with undulating ruffles, and jacquard silk jackets constructed to look permanently burst-open) was inspired by the romance between Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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The work was inspired by cephalopods such as octopuses, which can rapidly alter their skin’s appearance and texture to blend into their surroundings or communicate.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Otherwise, Veloso relied on the sun, candlelight and fire to illuminate his shots.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
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Finally, the sun dipped below the horizon and illuminated the sparse clouds in a smoldering fire of mauve, pink and purple.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Edwards, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves and was named the game’s most valuable player, gave all the credit to Wembanyama for lighting the competitive juices of his fellow All-Stars.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
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With the lights turned off, many in the crowd of 93,103 held up lighters and lit matches in tribute.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Illume.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illume. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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