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Glite Dictionary
to expose oneself to the sun

to expose oneself to the sun

3.8
To stay in strong sun for tanning or warmth
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : tomar el sol
  • In order to get a tan, he decided to expose himself to the sun for a few hours.

Examples

  • While I find Retin-A to be the one skin cream that can actually turn back the hands of time (dermatologists agree with me), I never use it in late spring and summer because it's never good to let your skin be exposed to the sun when you're on Retin-A, and I spend a lot of time in the sun during the summer months, albeit covered in hats and sunscreen.

    Blog text (21)

  • She loves to expose herself to the sun while lounging by the pool during summer.

  • Many people expose themselves to the sun on the beach to enjoy the warm weather.

Synonyms

to bask
vsto expose oneself to the sun
18 3.7

To lie in the warm sun and enjoy its heat

is deliberate exposure for tanning or warmth rather than general warmth enjoyment
to sun
vsto expose oneself to the sun
8 1.4

To sit or lie outside in strong light to get warm

focuses specifically on deliberate prolonged exposure for tanning or warmth
to sunbathe
vsto expose oneself to the sun
6 2.9

To sit or lie in the sun to make your skin brown

is deliberate exposure aimed at tanning or warmth rather than casual sun time
to bask in the sun
vsto expose oneself to the sun
2 1.6

To relax and enjoy the sun's warmth

is intentional exposure for tanning or warmth rather than simple relaxation
to soak up the sun
vsto expose oneself to the sun
  • Informal
1 3.5

To sit or lie outside to enjoy the warm sun

is deliberate exposure aimed at tanning or warmth rather than casual outdoor enjoyment
to suntan
vsto expose oneself to the sun
1 2.2

To make your skin darker by being in the sun

involves deliberate exposure for tanning or warmth rather than just causing color change
to catch the sun
vsto expose oneself to the sun
3.8

To sit or lie in the sun to feel warm

is deliberate exposure mainly for tanning or warmth rather than brief enjoyment

How Exposed

to sunbathe
6 2.9
to expose oneself to the sun
3.8
to sun
8 1.4
to bask
18 3.7
to shelter
76 2.5

Surface Forms

expose oneself to the sun infinitive
exposed oneself to the sun past
exposed oneself to the sun past participle
exposing oneself to the sun present participle
exposes oneself to the sun third person singular

Morphology

expose + oneself + to + the + sun

The meaning is directly and literally derivable from the constituents: 'expose' (place in an unprotected situation) + 'oneself' (reflexive) + 'to the sun' (into sunlight), so a learner who knows these words will infer 'to put oneself in direct sunlight'. This is a straightforward compositional prepositional construction common across languages and follows normal English syntax, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Expose oneself to the sun comes from the simple image of expose, that is, putting something out, and of the sun shining directly on your skin. So, it means 'to be in direct sunlight' to get warm or a tan.