(often initial capital letter) the star that is the central body of the solar system, around which the planets revolve and from which they receive light and heat: its mean distance from the earth is about 93 million miles (150 million km), its diameter about 864,000 miles (1.4 million km), and its mass about 330,000 times that of the earth; its period of surface rotation is about 26 days at its equator but longer at higher latitudes.
the sun considered with reference to its position in the sky, its visibility, the season of the year, the time at which or the place where it is seen, etc.
a self-luminous heavenly body; star.
sunshine; the heat and light from the sun: to be exposed to the sun.
a figure or representation of the sun, as a heraldic bearing usually surrounded with rays and marked with the features of a human face.
something likened to the sun in brightness, splendor, etc.
Chiefly Literary.
clime; climate.
glory; splendor.
sunrise or sunset: They traveled hard from sun to sun.
Archaic.
a day.
a year.
verb (used with object),sunned,sun·ning.
to expose to the sun's rays.
to warm, dry, etc., in the sunshine.
to put, bring, make, etc., by exposure to the sun.
verb (used without object),sunned,sun·ning.
to be exposed to the rays of the sun: to sun in the yard.
Idioms for sun
against the sun, Nautical. counterclockwise.
place in the sun, a favorable or advantageous position; prominence; recognition: The new generation of writers has achieved a place in the sun.
under the sun, on earth; anywhere: the most beautiful city under the sun.
with the sun, Nautical. clockwise.
Origin of sun
before 900; Middle English sun, sonne,Old English sunne; cognate with German Sonne,Old Norse sunna,Gothic sunno; akin to Old Norse sōl,Gothic sauil,Latin sōl (see solar1), Greek hḗlios (see helio-), Welsh haul,Lithuanian saũlė,Polish słońce
OTHER WORDS FROM sun
sunlike,adjective
Words nearby sun
Sumter, Sumter, Fort, sum total, sum-up, Sumy, sun, sun-and-planet gear, sun animalcule, sunback, sunbake, sunbaked
Vast power of the sun is tapped by battery using sand ingredient.
Dawn of the Heliocene - Issue 90: Something Green|Summer Praetorius|September 16, 2020|Nautilus
Any sun shirt is better than no sun shirt, but I like the Crossover because it’s so damn comfortable.
The Gear That Lets Me Enjoy the Last Days of Summer|Graham Averill|September 15, 2020|Outside Online
“Maybe when Venus comes around on the other side of the sun again,” Greaves says, “things will be better for us here on Earth.”
Phosphine gas found in Venus’ atmosphere may be ‘a possible sign of life’|Lisa Grossman|September 14, 2020|Science News
As the sun rose, a new series of medical experts began to evaluate her.
Sent Home to Die|by Annie Waldman and Joshua Kaplan|September 2, 2020|ProPublica
At the moment, it’s about the equivalent of standing outside at noon in the sun, about 1 kW per square meter.
New Zealand Is About to Test Long-Range Wireless Power Transmission|Jason Dorrier|August 30, 2020|Singularity Hub
They will do it,” Revels declared, “as certainly as the sun shines in the heavens.
The Black Man Who Replaced Jefferson Davis in the Senate|Philip Dray|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The nanas and poppies and grannies and grampses who flocked there to roast in the sun.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She had to break the news to William that The Sun had the story.
Pulled Documentary Says William Felt ‘Used’ by Charles’ Push for Camilla|Tom Sykes|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the sun set on Monday and the search was called off for the day, there had been no positive update on the possible wreckage.
The Presumed Crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Is Nothing Like MH370|Lennox Samuels|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And The Sun Also Rises has Jake sexting Brett a picture of his war-damaged member.
What Would Jane Eyre Sext?|Jennie Yabroff|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The exigencies of the solar system may make it impossible for the sun to be always there, but it should be around when wanted.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, April 30, 1919|Various
The sun shone brightly on the snow, which was unrelieved by a single dark object.
The Young Treasure Hunter|Frank V. Webster
Though late in the afternoon, the sun was hot, the air sultry.
The Wonder of War on Land|Francis Rolt-Wheeler
This sport may be carried on from the 24th of July till October, from the rising to the setting of the sun.
The Natural History of Cage Birds|J. M. Bechstein
During the summer months they should be protected from the direct rays of the sun, and kept well syringed.
Talks about Flowers.|M. D. Wellcome
British Dictionary definitions for sun (1 of 2)
sun
/ (sʌn) /
noun
the star at the centre of our solar system. It is a gaseous body having a highly compressed core, in which energy is generated by thermonuclear reactions (at about 15 million kelvins), surrounded by less dense radiative and convective zones serving to transport the energy to the surface (the photosphere). The atmospheric layers (the chromosphere and corona) are normally invisible except during a total eclipse. Mass and diameter: 333 000 and 109 times that of earth respectively; mean distance from earth: 149.6 million km (1 astronomical unit)Related adjective: solar
any star around which a planetary system revolves
the sun as it appears at a particular time or placethe winter sun
the radiant energy, esp heat and light, received from the sun; sunshine
a person or thing considered as a source of radiant warmth, glory, etc
a pictorial representation of the sun, often depicted with a human face
poetica year or a day
poetica climate
archaicsunrise or sunset (esp in the phrase from sun to sun)
catch the sunto become slightly sunburnt
place in the suna prominent or favourable position
shoot the sunortake the sunnauticalto measure the altitude of the sun in order to determine latitude
touch of the sunslight sunstroke
under the sunorbeneath the sunon earth; at allnobody under the sun eats more than you do
verbsuns, sunningorsunned
to expose (oneself) to the sunshine
(tr)to expose to the sunshine in order to warm, tan, etc
Derived forms of sun
sunlike, adjective
Word Origin for sun
Old English sunne; related to Old High German sunna, Old Frisian senne, Gothic sunno
The sun is about 4.5 billion years old and is expected to remain in its present state for approximately another six billion years; it will eventually evolve into a white dwarf.
Often Sun. A medium-sized, main-sequence star located in a spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, orbited by all of the planets and other bodies in our solar system and supplying the heat and light that sustain life on Earth. Its diameter is approximately 1,392,000 million km (865,000 mi), and its mass, about 330,000 times that of Earth, comprises more than 99 percent of the matter in the solar system. It has a temperature of some 5.7 million degrees C (28.3 million degrees F) at its core, where nuclear fusion produces tremendous amounts of energy, mainly through the series of reactions known as the proton-proton chain. The energy generated in the core radiates through a radiation zone to an opaque convection zone, where it rises to the surface through convection currents of the Sun's plasma. The Sun's surface temperature (at its photosphere) is approximately 6,200 degrees C (11,200 degrees F). Turbulent surface phenomena analogous to the Earth's weather are prevalent, including magnetic storms, sunspots, and solar flares. The Sun was formed along with the rest of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago and is expected to run out of its current hydrogen fuel in another 5 billion years, at which point it will develop into a red giant and ultimately into a white dwarf. See Table at solar system. See Note at dwarf star.