shone

Shone is the past tense and past participle of the verb shine. It is used to indicate that light was emitted or reflected in the past, or that something appeared bright at a previous time. Examples include “The sun shone all afternoon” and “Her eyes shone with happiness.”

Usage and variants: In British English, shone is the standard form for both the past tense and the past participle in most senses related to light or reflection. In American English, shined is common as the past tense and past participle when the verb means to polish or burnish a surface (for example, “They shined the silver”), and some speakers also use shined for other senses. The present participle is shining, and the pair shone/shined can reflect subtle nuance in meaning depending on region and context.

Etymology: The word derives from Old English scinan, meaning to shine, with cognates in other Germanic languages such as Dutch schijnen and German scheinen. The irregular past tense form shone is a characteristic feature of the verb’s strong-verb heritage.

Related notes: Shone is often used in reporting or narrative about light, weather, or visibility in the past. It is distinct from shown, which is the past participle of show and is pronounced the same but has different usage and meaning. In contexts describing surfaces being polished, shined is frequently preferred in American usage, though shone remains widely accepted in many uses, especially in British English.