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Definitions

sunbeam

[suhn-beem] / ˈsʌnˌbim /
NOUN
light
Synonyms
STRONGEST
bulb candle daylight flash glare glow lamp lantern radiation ray star sun sunshine window
STRONG
aurora beacon blaze brightness brilliance brilliancy coruscation dawn daybreak daytime effulgence emanation flare gleam glimmer glint glitter illumination incandescence irradiation lambency lighthouse luminosity luster morn morning phosphorescence radiance refulgence scintillation sheen shine sparkle splendor sunrise taper torch
WEAK
fulgor
Antonyms
STRONG
darkness dimness dullness eventide sundown sunset
WEAK
dark night obscurity
NOUN
ray
Synonyms
STRONGEST
glimmer light radiation
STRONG
bar blaze blink emanation flash flicker gleam glint glitter hint incandescence irradiation moonbeam patch pencil radiance scintilla shaft shine spark sparkle streak stream trace wave
Antonyms
STRONG
dullness

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Kristin Chenoweth is a dazzling performer—a sunbeam who shines so brightly when she steps on a Broadway stage you might be tempted to reach for sunglasses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2025

As Voyager 1 raced past Neptune on its way out of the Solar System, it turned its cameras back towards Earth and photographed a tiny speck, gleaming in a sunbeam.

From Scientific American • Oct. 18, 2023

If you’re in the car and your phone is sitting on the passenger seat in a sunbeam, you’ll notice how much faster your battery drains.

From Fox News • Oct. 24, 2021

Candy glides through this novel like a sunbeam.

From New York Times • Jul. 16, 2018

My dress fitted perfectly and everyone said that I looked like a sunbeam in it.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Vocabulary lists containing sunbeam

The Sun – Introductory

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