outshine

verb

out·​shine ˌau̇t-ˈshīn 

outshone ˌau̇t-ˈshōn 

especially British -ˈshän

or outshined; outshining

transitive verb

1

a

: to shine brighter than

b

: to excel in splendor or showiness

But among foliage tourists, peak means one day that will outshine all others.

—Madeline Drexler

2

: outdo, surpass

… a self-made man with an ego that outshone his rhinestone-bedazzled … suits.

—Sarah Smarsh

intransitive verb

: to shine out

Synonyms of outshine

• surpass
• exceed
• eclipse
• better
• top

Examples of outshine in a Sentence

She outshines all the other actors in the film.

the trumpeter outshines all of his fellow band members

Recent Examples on the Web

The International Space Station can under certain conditions be among the brightest objects in the sky – outshined only by the sun and moon. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 6 May 2026

Both will need to outshine the deeper ends of the wideout depth chart to stick around. —Mike Kaye may 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026

That's because the waning gibbous moon will appear in the sky at the same time, most likely outshining many of the fainter shooting stars. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 4 May 2026

Hegseth and Vance’s differences extend to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a close friend of Vance’s who at times has outshone the Pentagon boss. —Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for outshine

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine

Kids Definition

outshine

verb

out·​shine (ˈ)au̇t-ˈshīn 

outshone -ˈshōn  ; outshining

1

: to shine brighter than

2

: excel, surpass