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

2

: outdo, surpass

outshone most of the other films in quality

—Kathleen Karr

intransitive verb

: to shine out

Synonyms

• beat
• better
• eclipse
• exceed
• excel
• outclass
• outdistance
• outdo
• outgun
• outmatch
• outstrip
• overtop
• surpass
• top
• tower (over)
• transcend

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

Clark outshone her shoes — and everyone else on the court — in the Indiana Fever’s opener. —Ben Pickman, New York Times, 18 May 2025

Their ball movement was crisp, only outshined by their player movement. —Tony East, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025

That growth made RTDs the best-performing category and outshined the total industry’s 1.1% drop in revenue. Passport: Explore the finest destinations and experiences around the world in the Forbes Passport newsletter. —John Kell, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025

Quentin Grimes outshined him with a career-best 44 points on scorching 18-for-24 shooting. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2025

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