Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
place in the sun

place in the sun

2 4.9
A situation where someone has success, respect, and happiness after long effort
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : lugar en el sol
  • After years of hard work, she finally found her place in the sun as the lead designer at the innovative company.
  • find your place in the sun

Examples

  • I asked our host more questions about his woodworking, and yawning, Kate stood up, readjusted her suit, and climbed back to her place in the sun.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Son, he told me, the Boularouah family has its place in the sun; it shines with honors and riches, but it will always be remiss as long as it has not possessed science, the knowledge of religious law, grammar, and other subjects.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Never got your place in the sun, did you?

    Zeroville (2019)

  • A billion of them fight each other for a place in the sun.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I'm giving you the place in the sun I promised you.

    Kismet (1944)

  • We've a place in the sun

    That's Entertainment! (1974)

  • Hard-chargers put up with a lot of bullshit on the journey to their place in the sun.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • What I want to really say, though, is that men must learn that if we want to occupy their place in the sun, that they've got to expect some blisters along the way.

  • You didn't give me my food or my my place in the sun or you're interrupting my sleep or, you know, pick anything along those lines.

  • His relentless pursuit of excellence ultimately led him to his place in the sun as an award-winning author.

Synonyms

moment in the sun
vsplace in the sun
6 5.3

A short time when someone gets attention or success

is a stable longed for position of lasting success
day in the sun
vsplace in the sun
3 4.4

A short time when a person has success and many people notice them

is a lasting deserved position of success and recognition

Antonyms

failure
557 1.3

Not reaching what was planned or expected

in the shadow of
38 6.5

Close to a larger person or thing so you feel less important

How Successful

stardom
45 4.4
fame
439 1.0
place in the sun
  • Informal
2 4.9
recognition
141 3.4
obscurity
33 7.4

Surface Forms

place in the sun singular
places in the sun plural

Morphology

place + in + the + sun

The phrase uses a clear metaphor from the literal meaning of 'place' + 'in' + 'sun' — being 'in the sun' implies a pleasant, advantageous spot — so a learner who knows the words can often infer a favourable or successful position. However, the idiomatic nuance (recognition, long‑awaited deserved success) is metaphorical and culturally conditioned, so the exact pragmatic sense may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Place in the sun may come from the image of finding a warm place in the sun where a plant or person can grow and be seen. That's why it means 'a position of success, recognition, or happiness'.