ray 1 of 2

noun

Definition of raynext
1
as in beam
a narrow sharply defined line of light radiating from an object two red eyes reflected in the ray of light from the flashlight

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2
as in glimmer
a very small amount the tapping sound ceased, extinguishing the last ray of hope that the trapped miners were still alive

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ray

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to shine
to emit rays of light klieg lights were raying against the nighttime sky at the Hollywood premiere

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to radiate
to extend outwards from or as if from a central point laugh wrinkles rayed out from the corners of the old man's eyes

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ray
Noun
The Blu-ray additionally houses a Dolby Atmos version of Turnstiles, mixed by Bradshaw Leigh and mastered by Ted Jensen and Adam Grover at Sterling Sound. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 29 Sep. 2026 Coach Todd Bowles said X-rays were negative, but Mayfield will have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
Scientists have long grouped sharks together as a natural evolutionary unit, meaning every shark species shares a common ancestor that rays and skates do not. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026 The PlayStation 5 Pro is a more powerful spin on the vanilla PS5, thanks to ray tracing and AI upscaling that give games a visual boost. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ray
  1. beam
  2. glimmer
  3. shine
  4. radiate
  5. splash
  6. glow
  7. speck
  8. hint
Noun
  • One use involves directing a beam of protons or other heavier particles into the patient, targeting unwanted cancerous cells (proton/heavy ion therapy).
    — Andrea Richard, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Researchers at Romania’s Horia Hulubei National Institute have now solved this speed challenge by producing images with an artificial muon beam for the first time.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of beam
Noun
  • These sensual glimmers are no match for the antagonistic sociality of straight male relationships, which, in this novel, quickly convert sympathy or desire into rivalry and aggression.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Smatterings of dull hardware added a hint of glimmer to Anna Sui’s dark denim.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of glimmer
Verb
  • No lights shone from blocks of flats; no sounds of traffic came from any road.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • As for glam, Deutch kept things simple, shining a spotlight on her outfit.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of shine
Verb
  • One of them was Maggie Bieritz, one of those people who radiates joy and wit.
    — Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The jet carries 500,000 times the energy radiated by the sun and explains the mystery of how feeding black holes become such powerful cosmic particle accelerators and generate such high-energy gamma-ray photons.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of radiate
Noun
  • The first mega-splash came over the summer, with the $20 million-a-year agreement between Monster Energy and college sports’ Big 12 Conference (which includes the caffeine-avoidant Brigham Young University).
    — Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The company has also parted ways with Marriage Story writer-director Noah Baumbach, whose other Netflix projects, like White Noise and Jay Kelly, failed to make much of a splash.
    — Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of splash
Verb
  • Acupressure targets specific points, including spots roughly a finger’s length below your pupils and beside your nose, which NuFace says can promote a glowing complexion by improving circulation.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Frøya takes a botanical route to glow and tone instead, leaning on sea buckthorn and rosehip instead.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of glow
Noun
  • The period is 2006, when the golden age of streamable content is barely a speck on the media horizon.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
  • To make matters worse, the Houthis have captured new terrain in Yemen and acquired Perim Island, a speck of land inside the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint that better positions the Yemeni militia to intercept oil tankers.
    — Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of speck
Noun
  • Though some concept drawings were released by the company shortly after the project began in 2008, more recent renditions have been little more than hints showing the craft as an outline in the haze, with only the nose and cockpit showing clearly.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Though Kid Rock has not yet discussed his new album — or his relationship with Allen — beyond a brief Instagram post, past comments might offer a hint into his decision to include someone who’s been all but banished from the country music industry.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of hint

Phrases Containing ray

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rawness
ray
rayed
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Cite this Entry

“Ray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ray. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ray

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