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under the sun

under the sun

16 2.9
Everything that exists or happens in the world
  • idiom
translation icon : bajo el sol
  • There are many things under the sun.
  • new thing under the sun

The workforce has made every fucking job under the sun require a degree.

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Examples

  • Because you are going to find things of every price point under the sun, OK?

  • Oh yes, I have tried a little bit of everything under the sun trying to find something that just felt right.

  • Today it's all new under the sun and moon and stars.

  • Well, anything under the sun, sometimes over the moon.

  • I have tried every hair product under the sun and moon.

  • We got talking about everything under the sun, and of course we talked about jazz.

    Blog text (17)
  • I'm very outgoing, and we had spent the previous hour talking about everything under the sun.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • People are still turning to Google for just about every question under the sun, but what we're noticing is that people are getting a lot more specific.

  • The village threw off its monsoon shutters and emerged, blinking, under the sun to dry out.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • You can find all sorts of food under the sun, from street vendor snacks to gourmet dishes.

Synonyms

outside
vsunder the sun
1.0

In the open air, not inside

can mean all that exists worldwide rather than only being in the open air
outdoors
vsunder the sun
61 1.0

The open air away from buildings

can mean everything that exists in the world rather than only open air

Antonyms

95 1.0

To be inside a building rather than outside

Surface Forms

under the sun positive

Morphology

under + the + Sun

The literal parts 'under' + 'the sun' give a spatial image (beneath sunlight or outdoors), so there is a clear metaphorical link to 'in the world', but the extended meaning 'everything that exists or happens' is an idiomatic generalization not fully predictable from the words alone. The expression is somewhat recognizable cross‑linguistically (biblical/sub‑solar metaphors exist), so learners may guess a related sense, but full comprehension usually requires prior exposure.

Etymology

Under the sun gives the image of everything under the one bright sun that shines over the whole world, so you can picture all things together in the open. So, when people say under the sun, they mean 'everything' that exists or sometimes just 'outside'.