rayed

verb

past tense of ray
1
as in shone
to emit rays of light klieg lights were raying against the nighttime sky at the Hollywood premiere

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in radiated
to extend outwards from or as if from a central point laugh wrinkles rayed out from the corners of the old man's eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rayed
  1. shone
  2. radiated
  3. glowed
Verb
  • His brand shone as a symbol of national pride and soft power.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Yes, star players shone in each of those sides, but Iraola’s point remains pertinent.
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of shone
Verb
  • The extended chords radiated color, but despite the influence of hip-hop and video-game music, the playing felt less mischievous than relentlessly mechanical.
    — Rae-Aila Crumble, Pitchfork, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Gomez radiated in another stunning look for a Rare Beginnings campaign video.
    — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 28 July 2026
Definition of radiated
Verb
  • As the bartender quieted whatever terrible hair-metal mixtape had been playing over the house PA, and the lights glowed red on the stage, Ryan was trying to create the illusion of a behind-the-curtain, big-stage, rock star entrance.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
  • String lights glowed overhead as the San Gabriel Mountains went dark behind them.
    — David Hochman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of glowed
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

ray
rayed
raying
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rayed. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on rayed

Nglish: Translation of rayed for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All