sun

1 of 3

noun

ˈsən 

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

: glory, splendor

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

Synonyms

Noun

• sunlight
• sunshine

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

Thankfully, the awareness surrounding sun protection has noticeably grown within the Black community, with companies making sunscreens specifically for Black people. —Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 22 June 2024

To go against 80 college teams to come up with a cool sun protection brand. —Alena Botros, Fortune Europe, 22 June 2024

Verb

Bearded Dragons Usually spotted sunning themselves on the side of the road or from an elevated perch, the bearded dragon is a small reptile with distinctively spiky scales under its chin. —Justin Meneguzzi, Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2024

Expect to see sloths and squirrel monkeys in the trees, iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks and colorful crabs in the sand. —Catherine Garcia, theweek, 30 Apr. 2024

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

Phrases Containing sun

• day/moment/time in the sun
• get/catch some sun
• in the sun
• mean sun
• midnight sun
• place in the sun
• sun-baked
• sun bear
• sun cream
• sun dance
• sun disk
• sun dog
• sun-drenched
• sun-dried
• sun god
• sun goddess
• sun-grebe
• sun hat
• sun-kissed
• sun lounge
• sun lounger
• sun protection factor
• sun worshipper
• the sun is in someone's eyes
• under the sun

Kids Definition

sun

1 of 2 noun

ˈsən 

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