shine verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of shine verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

shine

verb
 
 
/ʃaɪn/
 
/ʃaɪn/
In sense 2 in North American English shined
 
/ʃaɪnd/
 
/ʃaɪnd/
can also be used for the past tense and past participle. In sense 3 shined is used for the past tense and past participle.
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they shine
 
/ʃaɪn/
 
/ʃaɪn/
he / she / it shines
 
/ʃaɪnz/
 
/ʃaɪnz/
past simple shone
 
/ʃɒn/
 
/ʃəʊn/
past participle shone
 
/ʃɒn/
 
/ʃəʊn/
-ing form shining
 
/ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/
 
/ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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  1.  
     [intransitive] to produce or reflect light; to be bright
    • The sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky.
    • A light was shining in the distance.
    • The dark polished wood shone like glass.
    • The stars were shining and the moon was bright.
    • The hot desert sun shone down relentlessly.
    • shine on somebody/something the beauty of the moon shining on the waves
    • shine with something (figurative) Her eyes were shining with excitement.
    • (figurative) Excitement was shining in her eyes.
    Synonyms shineshinegleam ▪ glow ▪ sparkle ▪ glisten ▪ shimmer ▪ glitter ▪ twinkle ▪ glintThese words all mean to produce or reflect light.shine to produce or reflect light, especially brightly:
    • The sun was shining and the sky was blue.
    gleam to shine with a clear bright or pale light, especially a reflected light:
    • Moonlight gleamed on the water.
    glow (often of something hot or warm) to produce a steady light that is not very bright:
    • The end of his cigarette glowed red.
    sparkle to shine brightly with small flashes of light:
    • The diamonds sparkled in the light.
    glisten (of something wet) to shine:
    • The road glistened wet after the rain.
    shimmer to shine with a soft light that seems to shake slightly:
    • Everything seemed to shimmer in the heat.
    glitter to shine brightly with small flashes of reflected light:
    • The ceiling of the cathedral glittered with gold.
     sparkle or glitter?There is very little difference in meaning between these two words. Glitter can sometimes suggest a lack of depth, but this is more frequent in the figurative use of glitter as a noun: the superficial glitter of show business . Sparkle is also often used to talk about light reflected off a surface, but things that produce light can also sparkle: Stars sparkled in the sky. twinkle to shine with a light that changes rapidly from bright to faint to bright again:
    • Stars twinkled in the sky.
    glint to give small bright flashes of reflected light:
    • The blade of the knife glinted in the darkness.
    Patterns
    • to shine/​gleam/​sparkle/​glisten/​shimmer/​glitter/​glint on something
    • to shine/​gleam/​glow/​sparkle/​glisten/​shimmer/​glitter/​twinkle/​glint with something
    • to shine/​gleam/​sparkle/​glisten/​shimmer/​glitter/​glint in the sunlight
    • to shine/​gleam/​glisten/​shimmer/​glitter/​glint in the moonlight
    • the stars shine/​sparkle/​glitter/​twinkle
    • somebody’s eyes shine/​gleam/​glow/​sparkle/​glisten/​glitter/​twinkle/​glint
    • to shine/​gleam/​glow/​glitter brightly
    • to shine/​gleam/​glow/​shimmer softly
    Extra Examples
    • Love and pride shone from her eyes.
    • She seemed to shine with an inner radiance.
    • Their faces shone white in the moonlight.
    • There were tears shining in his eyes.
    • I was woken by a full moon shining on me.
    • You've really made that floor shine!
    • He waxed the car until it shone.
    • a shampoo that's guaranteed to make your hair shine
    • A spotlight was shining directly into her eyes.
    • The light shone on his face.
    Topics Spaceb1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • brightly
    • brilliantly
    • faintly
    • …
    verb + shine
    • seem to
    • make something
    preposition
    • at
    • from
    • in
    • …
    See full entry
  2.  
     [transitive] shine something + adv./prep. to aim or point the light of a lamp, etc. in a particular direction
    • He shone the flashlight around the cellar.
    • The watchman shone his torch at us.
    • The doctor shone the light in my eyes several times.
    • (figurative) Campaigners are shining a spotlight on the world's diminishing natural resources.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • brightly
    • brilliantly
    • faintly
    • …
    verb + shine
    • seem to
    • make something
    preposition
    • at
    • from
    • in
    • …
    See full entry
  3. [transitive] shine something to polish something; to make something smooth and bright
    • He shined shoes and sold newspapers to make money.
  4. [intransitive] to show that you are very good at something
    • He failed to shine academically but he was very good at sports.
    • She has set a shining example of loyal service over four decades.
    • These qualities shine forth in all that he produced.
    5. see also shiny
    Word OriginOld English scīnan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schijnen and German scheinen.
Idioms
a knight in shining armour
  1. (usually humorous) a man who saves somebody, especially a woman, from a dangerous situation
    • She's still waiting for a knight in shining armour to come and rescue her.
make hay while the sun shines
  1. (saying) to make good use of opportunities, good conditions, etc. while they last
rise and shine
  1. (old-fashioned) usually used in orders to tell somebody to get out of bed and be active
See shine in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee shine in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: shine

Nearby words

immunize
verb
 
 
From the Topic
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