Meaning & use
ray
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Meanings
nouncountable
A thin beam of light, heat or other energy that travels in a straight line from its source.
Grammar: Countable: a ray, rays of the sun.
Patterns
- a ray of light
- rays of sunshine
A ray of sunlight came through the window.
Wear sunscreen to protect against the sun's rays.
The doctor used X-rays to check the bone.
nouncountablefigurative
A small amount of something good, such as hope or comfort.
Grammar: Usually followed by of.
Patterns
- a ray of hope
- a ray of comfort
The letter offered a ray of hope.
There wasn't a ray of doubt in her voice.
A ray of humor lightened the meeting.
nouncountablebiology
A flat sea fish with a wide body shaped like a wing and a long thin tail.
Grammar: Includes stingrays and manta rays.
Patterns
- a manta ray
A ray glided along the sandy seabed.
Divers swam near a huge manta ray.
The ray's wing-like fins rippled.
nouncountablemathematics
A straight line in geometry that starts at one point and goes on without end in one direction.
Grammar: Mathematical term.
Patterns
- a ray from a point
Draw a ray starting at point A.
An angle is formed by two rays sharing an endpoint.
The ray extends forever.
Word forms
| plural | rays |
|---|
Common combinations
- ray of light
- A ray of light fell on the floor.
- ray of hope
- She saw a ray of hope.
- sun's rays
- The sun's rays warmed the sand.
- X-ray
- The X-ray showed a small crack.
- manta ray
- We saw a manta ray off the coast.
Synonyms and how they differ
- beam
- Beam is a broader or more concentrated stream of light, such as from a torch.
- shaft
- Shaft is a narrow column of light through a gap.
- glimmer
- Glimmer is a faint light and often a faint hope.
- flicker
- Flicker is a weak unsteady light or feeling.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: ray or re? ray or rey?
ray vs re
In music, re is a note; it is pronounced similarly but unrelated.
ray vs rey
Rey is a foreign word; the English word is spelled ray.
Practice
Which phrase uses ray in a figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
A ray of hope means a small amount of hope. The others refer to physical light, a fish or an imaging method.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ray”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.