shine
shine Lexical Profile
shine Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To give out or reflect a bright light; to glow or be bright.
"The morning sun shone brightly through the tall stained-glass windows."
To direct the beam of a lamp, flashlight, or other light source toward a specific place or object.
"The park ranger shone her flashlight along the narrow trail to check for fallen branches."
To excel or be exceptionally talented and impressive at a particular activity or field.
"Although she is quiet in large meetings, she really shines when leading small research teams."
To make an object bright and glossy by rubbing or polishing it.
"He carefully shined the brass instruments before the symphony concert."
• noun
A quality of brightness or luster, especially that produced by light reflecting off a smooth or polished surface.
"Regular conditioning restores a healthy shine to dry, damaged hair."
An act of polishing a surface, especially leather footwear.
"He gave his dress boots a quick shine before heading into the interview."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used intransitively (to emit light or excel), the past tense and past participle are 'shone'; when used transitively to mean 'to polish' (as in polishing shoes), the regular form 'shined' is preferred.
• Rhymes for shine
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English scinan ('to shed light, be radiant, be conspicuous'), derived from Proto-Germanic *skinanan, which comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *skai- ('to gleam, shine').