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sun
1[suhn]
noun
(often initial capital letter)the star that is the central body of the earth's 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 25 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 star, especially one that has planets and other celestial bodies revolving around it.
Many other solar systems have multiple suns, while ours has just one.
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)
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)
to be exposed to the rays of the sun.
to sun in the yard.
Sun.
2abbreviation
Sunday.
Sun.
1abbreviation
Sunday
sun
2/ ʌ /
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: 333000 and 109 times that of earth respectively; mean distance from earth: 149.6 million km (1 astronomical unit)
any star around which a planetary system revolves
the sun as it appears at a particular time or place
the 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 )
to become slightly sunburnt
a prominent or favourable position
nautical to measure the altitude of the sun in order to determine latitude
slight sunstroke
on earth; at all
nobody under the sun eats more than you do
verb
to expose (oneself) to the sunshine
(tr) to expose to the sunshine in order to warm, tan, etc
sun
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
Other Word Forms
- sunlike adjective
- ˈܲˌ adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of sun1
Word History and Origins
Origin of sun1
Idioms and Phrases
under the sun, on earth; anywhere.
the most beautiful city under the sun.
place in the sun, a favorable or advantageous position; prominence; recognition.
The new generation of writers has achieved a place in the sun.
against the sun, counterclockwise.
with the sun, clockwise.
Example Sentences
Perhaps the highlight of the tournament - particularly for those who queued for over an hour in the London sun - was Boulter and Raducanu's surprise doubles pairing.
If the sun comes out - it's a two o'clock race, it was a four o'clock qualifying today - that makes quite a bit of difference.
"It made it difficult to perform any kind of forensic examination. The body was too long under the sun, the rain and snow, and it was harmed by artillery strikes."
"My farm has become something of a local miracle. People travel from far-off places just to see the apple trees growing under the hot Maharashtra sun."
The sun found its way through the trees as the composer and percussionist Levy Lorenzo stood in front of the stage and began with a ceremonial pounding of bamboo poles.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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