Shine

/ʃaɪn/

verbBeginner🔥Very CommonGeneral
4 meanings2 idioms/phrases5 questions

Definitions

4 meanings
1

To emit or reflect light.

/ʃaɪn/

verbneutralBeginner
General

To give out or reflect light.

The moon shone brightly in the night sky.

💡 Simply: Imagine a sunny day! When something shines, it's like the sun is making it bright and sparkly. Like when you polish your shoes, you make them shine!

👶 For kids: To make something bright like the sun or a star!

More Examples

2

He polished his shoes until they shone.

3

Her talent shone through her performance.

How It's Used

General

"The sun shines brightly in the morning."

Literary

"Her eyes shone with joy."

2

To polish something to make it bright.

/ʃaɪn/

verbneutralBeginner
General

To polish something to make it bright and smooth.

He shone his car until it was spotless.

💡 Simply: It's like when you rub something to make it super smooth and extra bright, like shining your shoes to get rid of the dust and make them look nice.

👶 For kids: To make something clean and sparkly by rubbing it!

More Examples

2

She used a special cloth to shine the silverware.

3

The butler shines the silver every day.

How It's Used

Household

"She shines her shoes every morning."

Industry

"The worker shines the metal."

Tip:Think of polishing shoes.
3

The quality of being bright or shining.

/ʃaɪn/

nounneutralBeginner
General

The quality of brightness.

The shine of the polished wood was remarkable.

💡 Simply: When you see something really bright and sparkly, that's the shine! Like the shine on a brand new car or the shine of a diamond.

👶 For kids: How bright something is!

More Examples

2

The sun's shine made the sea sparkle.

3

The product has a long-lasting shine.

How It's Used

General

"The shine on the car was impressive."

Art

"The artist captured the shine of the water in the painting."

Tip:Think of the reflection of light.
4

A particular area where light is reflected, creating a bright spot.

/ʃaɪn/

nounneutralmedium
General

A specific area where light is reflected.

A shine of sunlight fell across the table.

💡 Simply: It's like when you look at something and see a special spot that's extra bright. Maybe a small sunbeam, creating a bright circle.

👶 For kids: A bright spot of light!

More Examples

2

A single shine broke through the clouds.

3

The artist focused on the shine of the water.

How It's Used

General

"A shine on the floor from the sun."

Tip:Think of a sunbeam creating a spot of light.

Idioms & expressions

take a shine to someone/something

To develop a liking for someone or something.

"She took a shine to the new puppy immediately."

make it shine

To make something look attractive and of high-quality.

"The marketing team worked hard to make the new product shine."

From Old English *scīnan*, from Proto-Germanic *skīnaną* ('to shine, gleam'), from Proto-Indo-European *skei- ('to shine, to gleam').

The word 'shine' has been used since Old English, initially referring to emitting light. Its use to describe polishing objects is a later development.

Memory tip

Think of the sun's light.

Word Origin

LanguageProto-Germanic
Original meaning

"to shine, gleam"

shine brightlyshine a lightshine shoesshine the cartake a shine to

Common misspellings

shienshyne

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written