sun

noun

ˈsən How to pronounce sun (audio)
Definition of sunnext
1
as in sunshine
the light given off by the star around which the planet Earth revolves be sure to wear sunscreen if you plan to spend more than a few minutes in the sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in star
a ball-shaped gaseous celestial body that shines by its own light the incomprehensible vastness of a universe filled with billions of suns

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in sunrise
the first appearance of light in the morning or the time of its appearance I'm afraid that for this long trip we shall have to leave with the sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in glory
public acknowledgment or admiration for an achievement Olympians basking in the sun of athletic achievement while the public still remembers them

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 sun The telescope will make its observations while about 930,000 miles from Earth, facing in a direction opposite the sun. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 Venus was visible gleaming star-like and brilliant above, but the impossible sun was our only focus. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026 These plants are competing for sun, nutrients, water and especially pollination in this harsh environment of limited but intense sunlight. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 In this case, Earth will pass between the moon and the sun, casting a reddish-orange shadow onto the moon. — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sun
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sun
  1. sunshine
  2. star
  3. sunrise
  4. glory
  5. sunlight
  6. galaxy
  7. day
  8. applause
Noun
  • Tuesday will be another beautiful weather day in the Philadelphia region with sunshine, low humidity and highs near 82 degrees.
    — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Breezy onshore winds will keep the Delta breeze healthy for Sacramento, Modesto and the Delta region with plenty of sunshine to go around.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of sunshine
Noun
  • Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, Jack White, every living president, Jane Fonda, and countless more have all mourned the beloved star.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The late star had also been a co-owner of Sandollar Productions alongside her former manager, Sandy Gallin, which produced Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Father of the Bride and Sabrina, among others.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of star
Noun
  • Sunlight bent and filtered through Earth's atmosphere leaks into the shadow, carrying the red-orange glow of every sunrise and sunset around the world.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Observed from lower latitudes, the orbital parade of satellites would peak in brightness at sunrise and sunset; toward the poles, the constellations would be bright and visible for most of the night during winter and the equinoxes.
    — Arielle Frommer, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of sunrise
Noun
  • But the island’s class divide isn’t just about dirt bike races for glory and bonfire fistfights anymore.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The program rehired Rich Rodriguez, who sparked those 2000s glory days and had the Mountaineers one win away from the BCS title game in 2007, to get the program back on track.
    — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of glory
Noun
  • The collector uses reflective elements to direct sunlight toward an absorber panel, where the energy is trapped and transferred to a medium such as air or water.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Craters near the moon’s south pole have not seen sunlight in billions of years.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of sunlight
Noun
  • The observatory's mission is to investigate dark energy, study galaxy formation and discover new exoplanets.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The state of any object, from an electron to a galaxy, can be captured by such a vector, pointing in some direction through such a Hilbert space.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of galaxy
Noun
  • But Moores would express misery in recalling ballpark-construction hassles and MLB politics that frustrated his advocacy of small-market clubs and game-day affordability.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • However, parents should be extra vigilant because this is also an accident-prone day for your kids.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of day
Noun
  • One of the more surreal responses to that experience is applause, which ripples through the audience of Paranormal Activity a beat after all the major scares, like rain settling in after a peal of thunder.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Yadkin board’s moratorium decision was met by applause from the packed room.
    — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of applause

Browse Nearby Words

sum-ups
sun
sunbaked
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sun. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sun

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sun

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cogent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All