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Glite Dictionary
to shine at

to shine at

1 3.5
To be very good at a particular activity
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : destacar en
  • Men's and women's cross country teams shine at NAIA National Championships.

Examples

  • Either way, Fakalata is the Aggies' best lineman and should shine at guard or center.

    Blog text (29)

  • With her quick thinking, Clara tends to shine at solving difficult puzzles.

  • I do not know why I think you would shine at this.

    Blog text (33)

  • That you always shine at the center of my heart.

    Blog text (6)

  • I'm so glad to hear that there are people there who do care and genuinely shine at their job. Love to you and the family.

    Blog text (2)

  • Later, as a young teenager, the arcade game room in the mall was where I found something I could shine at.

    Blog text (17)

  • Now be sure to shine at home with your best friend and don't kind of hug them all, don't you Brenda?

  • I didn't mind them getting shine at all because like I say, you know, if you don't look at golf, you would say Jack and Arnold were amazing.

  • Keep a few strategies in mind, and you'll shine at one-on-ones, whether you're meeting with an editor, agent, or potential client, such as a corporate communications director.

    Academic text (2010)

  • She will really shine at the piano recital this weekend after all her hard practice.

Synonyms

to shine
vsto shine at
138 3.6

To do very well and be noticed for ability

focuses on performing particularly well in a specific activity rather than general talent
to excel
vsto shine at
58 3.7

To be much better than other people at an activity or subject

focuses on being very good without necessarily beating others
to excel at
vsto shine at
20 3.4

To be very good at a subject or skill

emphasizes a particular strong performance rather than ongoing steady skill

Antonyms

to fail
898 1.0

Not succeed in doing something you wanted to do

How Skilled

to excel at
20 3.4
to shine at
1 3.5
to do well
520 1.2

Surface Forms

shine at infinitive
shining at present participle
shines at third person singular
shone at past
shone at past participle

Morphology

shine + at

The meaning is directly compositional: 'shine' (to excel or display exceptional skill) combined with the preposition 'at' (marking the domain or activity) yields 'to be very good at X'. This verb + preposition pattern is a straightforward metaphorical extension that B1 learners who know the constituent meanings should be able to infer.

Etymology

The phrasal verb shine at comes from the image of a bright light shining on one spot. Shine means to give light and at shows where the light goes, so if someone shines at something they stand out and 'are very good at' it.