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Glite Dictionary
to sunbathe

to sunbathe

6 2.9
To sit or lie in the sun to make your skin brown
  • verb
  • /ˈsʌnˌbeɪð/
translation icon : tomar el sol
  • "Let's at least sunbathe for a bit."

They'll come out and and sunbathe on the rocks because that feels good.

Examples

  • Anyways, first we sunbathe because I need some vitamin D.

  • Couples, straight and gay, walk hand in hand; families picnic; beautiful people sunbathe.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • -Oh, come on, you sunbathe.

    Please Give (2010)

  • We came up here to sunbathe?

    Internal Affairs (1990)

  • I have to say, even at 27, some of my peers who sunbathe a lot are showing signs of it.

    Blog text (2)

  • She used to sunbathe in the back yard without warning back then.

    The Visit (2015)

  • By noon she'd relented enough to let me sunbathe in the driveway.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • In the summer, if Mom wasn't around, Cara and Ilana went out there to sunbathe.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • On sunny weekends, I love to sunbathe in my garden while reading a good book.

  • She decided to sunbathe at the beach to enjoy the warm weather and get a tan.

Synonyms

to bask
vsto sunbathe
18 3.7

To lie in the warm sun and enjoy its heat

specifies deliberate sitting or lying to darken the skin
to sun
vsto sunbathe
8 1.4

To sit or lie outside in strong light to get warm

is more about sitting or lying specifically to tan
to bask in the sun
vsto sunbathe
2 1.6

To relax and enjoy the sun's warmth

leans more toward intentional tanning rather than simple relaxation
to soak up the sun
vsto sunbathe
  • Informal
1 3.5

To sit or lie outside to enjoy the warm sun

aims more at tanning by lying or sitting in the sun
to suntan
vsto sunbathe
1 2.2

To make your skin darker by being in the sun

focuses more on tanning as the main purpose
to catch the sun
vsto sunbathe
3.8

To sit or lie in the sun to feel warm

has identical meaning but is a more idiomatic phrasing
to expose oneself to the sun
vsto sunbathe
3.8

To stay in strong sun for tanning or warmth

emphasizes sitting or lying posture for achieving a tan

How Intense

to sunbathe
6 2.9
to bask
18 3.7

Surface Forms

sunbathe infinitive
sunbathed past
sunbathed past participle
sunbathing present participle
sunbathes third person singular

Morphology

sunbathe = sun + bathe (transparent) = sun + bathe

The verb is a direct compound of 'sun' + 'bathe' and its meaning ('to bathe in the sun') is predictable from the two components.

Etymology

Sunbathe is simply sun + bathe, and bathe means 'to take a bath'. So, to sunbathe is like 'taking a bath in the sun', meaning you lie in the sunlight to make your skin brown.