sun

1 of 3

noun

1
a
often capitalized : the luminous celestial body around which the earth and other planets revolve, from which they receive heat and light, which is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, and which has a mean distance from earth of about 93,000,000 miles (150,000,000 kilometers), a linear diameter of 864,000 miles (1,390,000 kilometers), and a mass 332,000 times greater than earth
b
: a celestial body like the sun : star
2
: the heat or light radiated from the sun
played in the sun all day
3
: one resembling the sun (as in warmth or brilliance)
4
: the rising or setting of the sun
from sun to sun
5

sun

2 of 3

verb

sunned; sunning

transitive verb

: to expose to or as if to the rays of the sun

intransitive verb

: to sun oneself

Sun

3 of 3

abbreviation

Sunday
Phrases
in the sun
: in the public eye
under the sun
: in the world : on earth

Examples of sun in a Sentence

Noun The rain has stopped and the sun is shining. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. the warmth of the sun's rays They dream of traveling to distant suns. Try to keep out of the sun. The cat lay basking in the sun. Verb People sunned themselves on the hillside.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The jagged vectors of her playing bring to mind exploding suns seeding new worlds. Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2024 Because the moon is in the phase that is not being illuminated by the sun. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 Because of the relative positions of the sun and moon, there are craters around the south pole whose bottoms have never seen sunlight. David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Light will stream through the pinhole and project a crescent sun onto the white sheet of paper in the box. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024 Vintage wallpaper with floral designs still hangs on some of the walls bordering five-foot tall windows that catch the morning sun. Hollace Ava Weiner, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2024 Even major scriptures from various religions mention creation of the sun and other celestial entities. Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Just know that the sun will appear green instead yellowish-orange or white. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 And, in one case, a vault is cracked so badly that the casket underneath is exposed to the harsh rain and sun and moisture of South Florida. Gerard Albert, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
And this is me in shorts and a T-shirt hiding under a blanket sunning on a grassy knoll and my marmot is with me. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2024 Mid-February wasn’t a bad time for a road trip: As Detroit got coated with snow, the DSO was sunning itself in West Palm Beach. Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 22 Feb. 2024 Parks officials recently installed faux alligators and islands to provide more places for birds and turtles to sun themselves, The Arizona Republic reported. Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 14 Feb. 2024 And this is me in shorts and a T-shirt hiding under a blanket sunning on a grassy knoll. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2024 And go ahead and sleep in: Your best opportunity to spot squirrels sunning on tree limbs is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 2. T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 Her guiding skills led us to incredible sightings, including a pair of lions chasing a herd of kudu, a pod of hippos sunning themselves, and dozens of elephants enjoying a mud bath. Sandra MacGregor, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2023 As a result, hippos and crocodiles can often be observed sharing the same water pool or sunning alongside each other on the shore. Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 15 Nov. 2023 Sitting and sunning by the 14th floor pool puts you steps away from the poolside cafe Bella’s Rooftop Bar. Essence, 4 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sunne, from Old English; akin to Old High German sunna sun, Latin sol — more at solar

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of sun was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near sun

Cite this Entry

“Sun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sun. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sun

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: the star around which the planets revolve, from which they receive heat and light, and which has an average distance from the earth of about 93,000,000 miles (150,000,000 kilometers), a diameter of 864,000 miles (1,390,000 kilometers), and a mass 332,000 times greater than earth
b
: a star like the sun
2
: the heat or light given off by the sun : sunshine
3
: one resembling the sun usually in brilliance
4
: the rising or setting of the sun
from sun to sun

sun

2 of 2 verb
sunned; sunning
1
: to expose to or as if to the rays of the sun
2
: to sun oneself

More from Merriam-Webster on sun

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