to soak up the sun
- phrasal verb
- Informal
- Once you have seen the charm and beauty of the city, it's time to escape to the beach and soak up the sun, relaxing on the sand or a beach chair until your heart is content.
- soak up the sun's rays
So I was just soaking up the sun, the rays and it was John Joel.
- So I was just soaking up the sun, the rays and it was John Joel.
- And we've just been loving soaking up the sun before we cave to the British Columbia Vancouver rainy winter season.
- So I think this cat is is soaking up the sun and looking at the person slash the camera with that look of like you are no threat to me whatsoever.
Examples
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And that's where Blogfinger found them Monday, soaking up the sun and remembering Lopez with tales, small and tall.
Blog text (32) -
And we've just been loving soaking up the sun before we cave to the British Columbia Vancouver rainy winter season.
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So I was just soaking up the sun, the rays and it was John Joel.
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So we're just chilling in the garden now, soaking up the sun, having a little chat.
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Those who want to be away from the busy and crowded city life can come here and breathe some pure air and soak up the sun.
Blog text (9) -
It was a busy Saturday afternoon with about 20,000 people lying down soaking up the sun.
Blog text (29) -
On a splendidly sunny day, I soaked up the sun with a friend, chatting about our future goals and master plans to conquer the world.
Blog text (22) -
I believe in daring to live the life you dream of living, and so I quit my job to blog, soak up the sun, and parler français on the French Riviera.
Blog text (20) -
We spent our afternoon in the park to soak up the sun and enjoy the warm weather.
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After a long week at work, she loves to relax and soak up the sun at the beach.
Synonyms
To lie in the warm sun and enjoy its heat
To sit or lie in the sun to make your skin brown
To relax and enjoy the sun's warmth
To lie in the sun to get warm or to tan the skin
To sit or lie in the sun to feel warm
To relax on a beach in the warm sun
To stay in strong sun for tanning or warmth
Antonyms
How Sunny
Surface Forms
Morphology
Knowing 'soak' (to absorb) and 'sun' allows a learner to infer a figurative meaning of 'absorbing' sunlight — i.e., spending time enjoying the sun — because 'soak up' commonly conveys taking something in. However, this is a metaphorical extension from liquids to light/atmosphere and not strictly literal, so the sense is partially predictable but may not be immediately obvious to all B1 learners without prior exposure.
Etymology
Soak up the sun paints a simple picture: like a sponge, your skin or a towel soaks up the sun's warmth and light. That's why it means 'to spend time enjoying the sunlight'.