1
2
as in glimmer
a very small amount
the tapping sound ceased, extinguishing the last ray of hope that the trapped miners were still alive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to shine
to emit rays of light
klieg lights were raying against the nighttime sky at the Hollywood premiere
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to radiate
to extend outwards from or as if from a central point
laugh wrinkles rayed out from the corners of the old man's eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ray
Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
For mothers who love spending time outdoors, this cotton-linen hat will protect them from the sun’s strong rays.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2026
The PlayStation 5 Pro is a more powerful spin on the vanilla PS5, thanks to ray tracing and AI upscaling that give games a visual boost.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ray
Noun
Gamma rays are produced only when particles from these two states collide and annihilate—which means some of the dark matter must be in the excited state in the first place.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
For mothers who love spending time outdoors, this cotton-linen hat will protect them from the sun’s strong rays.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Verb
After tracking a large school of Mobula rays for some time, Bingqiam Gao decided to try a different approach: Get ahead and wait.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2026
The PlayStation 5 Pro is a more powerful spin on the vanilla PS5, thanks to ray tracing and AI upscaling that give games a visual boost.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ray
Noun
-
Fisher used an electric guitar fashioned from a beam recovered during his renovations of a church stairwell.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
-
Bally’s Chicago hosted a topping-off ceremony yesterday marking the placement of the final beam, a milestone signifying the completion of the structural framework.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Now in an interview with CNN Sports, Biles has offered a glimmer of hope to millions of fans around the world hoping to see her take to the floor for one last dance.—
Amanda Davies,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
-
To Nelson, this weakness represented a glimmer of truth.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This leadership follows a congressional report showing foreign adversaries are actively influencing American academia — shining a spotlight on Indiana and Purdue University, in particular, as both a model for reform and a case study in risk.—
Joe Gebbia Sr,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
People throw rocks at things that shine, and life makes love look hard.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mosquitoes target spots where heat radiates most, like the head and neck.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
-
That required segmenting the coil and inserting electronics within it to keep it from radiating its energy away like an antenna.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Elsewhere around the league, Providence has made a splash early into the tenure of new head coach Bryan Hodgson, who came from USF to replace Kim English.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
-
The return on investment in human potential is far higher where each dollar can make a splash, rather than adding to an already deep reservoir.—
Ed Smith-Lewis,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
However, in the wild, the algae are the ocean’s introverts, and only glow when they are bothered, like jolted by a crashing wave or the hull of a passing boat.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
There’s an amulet (one of those glowing doohickeys the fate of the cosmos hangs on), and your heart may sink every time someone starts chattering about it.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
From the summit of Monte Gambarogno, the towns hugging the shore of Lake Maggiore appear as tiny specks, dwarfed by the snowcapped southern Alps to the north.—
Lisa Kadane,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2026
-
The only public image of the attacker — or attackers — appears as a speck in a short, grainy clip of the explosion.—
Thad Moore,
AJC.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This desire to find connection in loss hints that death can often be more tangible to process than estrangement.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The first hint of celebrity Once America became an independent nation, its hatred for the crown turned into intrigue.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ray. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
