Meaning & use
shine
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To give out or reflect bright light.
Grammar: No object; past tense shone: the sun shone.
Patterns
- shine on something
- shine through something
The sun shone all afternoon.
Stars shine brightly on a clear night.
A light was shining in the window.
verbtransitive
To point a light somewhere.
Grammar: Takes an object: shine a flashlight; past tense often shone.
Patterns
- shine something on something
- shine something at someone
He shone a flashlight into the cave.
Please don't shine that light in my eyes.
She shone a torch on the map.
verbtransitive
To polish something until it is bright.
Grammar: Past tense is shined with this sense: he shined his shoes.
Patterns
- shine something
He shined his shoes before the interview.
She shined the silver for the party.
The cleaner shined the floor.
verbintransitivefigurative
To do something extremely well or to stand out through skill.
Grammar: Figurative; often with at or in: shine at math.
Patterns
- shine at something
- shine in something
She shines at math and science.
The young goalkeeper shone in the final.
He really shines when he speaks in public.
noununcountable
Brightness from light, or a glossy surface.
Grammar: No plural: the shine of polished wood.
Patterns
- the shine of something
The shine of the new car caught my eye.
Wax gives the table a lovely shine.
There was a happy shine in her eyes.
Word forms
| third person singular | shines |
|---|---|
| past tense | shone / shined |
| past participle | shone / shined |
| -ing form | shining |
Common combinations
- shine brightly
- The moon shone brightly.
- shine a light on
- The report shines a light on the problem.
- shine through
- Her kindness shines through.
- rise and shine
- Rise and shine, it's morning!
- take a shine to
- The dog took a shine to my uncle.
- shine at
- He shines at chess.
Synonyms and how they differ
- glow
- Glow is a soft, steady light, whereas shine is brighter and can be reflected.
- sparkle
- Sparkle means shining with quick, small flashes.
- excel
- Excel is for being very good at something, but is more formal than shine.
- polish
- Polish is for rubbing something to make it bright, while shine can also mean glowing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: shine or shone / shined?
shine vs shone / shined
Shone is the usual past tense for giving light, while shined is for polishing something.
Practice
Which past form fits: 'He ___ his boots until they gleamed.'
Choose one answer.
For the transitive sense of polishing, shined is the usual past tense. Shone fits for giving light, and the others are not past forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shine”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.