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shine

Syllabification: (shine)
Pronunciation: /SHīn/
Translate shine | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of shine

verb (past and past participle shone /SHōn/ or shined)

[no object]
  • 1(of the sun or another source of light) give out a bright light:the sun shone through the window
  • glow or be bright with reflected light:I could see his eyes shining in the light of the fire
  • [with object] direct (a flashlight or other light) somewhere in order to see something in the dark:an usher shines his flashlight into the boys' faces
  • (of a person’s eyes) be bright with the expression of a particular emotion:his eyes shone with excitement
  • 2be very talented or perform very well:she shines at comedy
  • 3 (past shined) [with object] make (an object made of leather, metal, or wood) bright by rubbing it; polish:his shoes were shined to perfection

noun

[in singular]
  • a quality of brightness, especially from reflected light:use shoe polish to try and get a shine my hair has lost its shine
  • an act of rubbing something to give it a shiny surface:Tom’s shoes got a quick shine from a boy with a buffing cloth
  • offensive a contemptuous term for a black or dark-skinned person.

Phrases

take the shine off

spoil the brilliance or excitement of:the absence of new jobs has taken some of the shine off his stellar popularity ratings

take a shine to

informal develop a liking for.

Phrasal Verbs

shine through

(of a good quality or skill) be clearly evident:at Regis his talent shone through

Origin:

Old English scīnan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schijnen and German scheinen

shine in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of shine in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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