shine

¹

[ shahyn ]

verb (used without object)

, shone [shohn, shon] or shined, shin·ing [shahy, -ning].

1. to give forth or glow with light; shed or cast light.

   Synonyms: shimmer, glimmer

2. to be bright with reflected light; glisten; sparkle.
3. (of light) to appear brightly or strongly, especially uncomfortably so:

   Wear dark glasses so the sun won't shine in your eyes.

4. to be or appear unusually animated or bright, as the eyes or face.
5. to appear with brightness or clearness, as feelings.
6. to excel or be conspicuous:

   to shine in school.

verb (used with object)

, shone [shohn, shon] or shined, shin·ing [shahy, -ning].

1. to cause to shine.
2. to direct the light of (a lamp, mirror, etc.):

   Shine the flashlight on the steps so I can see.

3. to put a gloss or polish on; polish (as shoes, silverware, etc.).

   Synonyms: brighten, burnish, buff

noun

1. radiance or brightness caused by emitted or reflected light.
2. luster; polish.

   Synonyms: sheen, glow, gleam, gloss

3. sunshine; fair weather.
4. a polish or gloss given to shoes.
5. an act or instance of polishing shoes.
6. Informal. a foolish prank; caper.
7. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.

verb phrase

1. Informal.
   1. to attempt to impress (a person), especially in order to gain benefits for oneself.
   2. to become especially attentive to (a potential romantic partner):

      Men shine up to her like moths to a light.

shine

²

[ shahyn ]

noun

, Slang.

1. moonshine ( def 1 ).

shine

/ ʃaɪn /

verb

1. intr to emit light
2. intr to glow or be bright with reflected light
3. tr to direct the light of (a lamp, etc)

   he shone the torch in my eyes

4. tr; past tense and past participle shined to cause to gleam by polishing

   to shine shoes

5. intr to be conspicuously competent; excel

   she shines at tennis

6. intr to appear clearly; be conspicuous

   the truth shone out of his words

noun

1. the state or quality of shining; sheen; lustre
2. rain or shine or come rain or shine
   1. whatever the weather
   2. regardless of circumstances
3. informal.
   short for moonshine
4. informal.
   a liking or fancy (esp in the phrase take a shine to )

Other Words From

• un·shined adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shine¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb shinen, shinnen, Old English scīnan; cognate with Dutch schijnen, German scheinen, Old Norse skīna, Gothic skeinan

Origin of shine²

First recorded in 1935–40; by shortening

Word History and Origins

Origin of shine¹

Old English scīnan; related to Old Norse skīna, Gothic skeinan, Old High German scīnan to shine, Greek skia shadow

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. come rain or shine, Also .
   1. regardless of the weather.
   2. no matter what the circumstances may be:

      Come rain or shine, he is always on the job.

2. take a shine to, Informal. to take a liking or fancy to:

   That little girl has really taken a shine to you.

More idioms and phrases containing shine

In addition to the idiom beginning with shine , also see make hay while the sun shines ; rain or shine ; rise and shine ; take a fancy (shine) to .

Synonym Study

Shine, beam, glare refer to the emitting or reflecting of light. Shine refers to a steady glowing or reflecting of light: to shine in the sun. That which beams gives forth a radiant or bright light: to beam like a star. Glare refers to the shining of a light that is not only bright but so strong as to be unpleasant and dazzling: to glare like a headlight.

Example Sentences

For Anthony McGill, clarinetist and 2020 recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize for excellence and leadership in classical music, “this one, it wears well … it keeps its shine.”

From Vox

With substances like aloe and avocado, your scalp pH will be more balanced than it has been in ages, and your hair will benefit from a fresh shine.

From Popular-Science

They may also lose their shine if shoppers can compare prices across sites, while the lavish experience of purchasing an item in an opulent store can feel merely transactional when checking out on a screen.

From Quartz

Weather is your day to day rain or shine, whereas climate is the overall pattern of temperature, humidity and rainfall you can expect to see in a certain area.

From Everything After Z

The Scripps group’s work is shedding light on the slime’s enduring shine, he says.

From Science News For Students

She attends hip-hop and belly dance classes (known as Arabic dance in Iran) just to shine more at parties.

From The Daily Beast

But they are striving “to shine bright like a diamond” and be happy, and we love them for it.

From The Daily Beast

Hollaback is right to shine a light on these creepy comments from creepy strangers.

From The Daily Beast

It basically says that now is her time, for her to shine as the lead of a show.

From The Daily Beast

“A friend indeed, come build me up/Come shed your light, it makes me shine,” she sings.

From The Daily Beast

Just corporeal enough to attest humanity, yet sufficiently transparent to let the celestial origin shine through.

From Project Gutenberg

The look of distress had vanished, and his sincere eyes seemed to shine again with courage and with strength.

From Project Gutenberg

But you, so formed to shine—to eclipse all others—do you never dance, seorita?

From Project Gutenberg

Personally, the English do not attract nor shine; but collectively they are a race to make their mark on the destinies of mankind.

From Project Gutenberg

How much brighter still might that Genius shine, could it be equally inspired by Good-nature!

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• gleam
• glitz
• gloss
• luster
• sheen
• shimmer
• sparkle