/ sʌn; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
the sun , the Sun [ sing. ] the star that shines in the sky during the day and gives the earth heat and light :
the sun's rays
the rising / setting sun
The sun was shining and birds were singing.
The sun was just setting.
2.
(usually the sun ) [ sing. , U ] the light and heat from the sun
SYN sunshine :
the warmth of the afternoon sun
This room gets the sun in the mornings.
We sat in the sun .
The sun was blazing hot.
Too much sun ages the skin.
We did our best to keep out of the sun .
They've booked a holiday in the sun (= in a place where it is warm and the sun shines a lot) .
Her face had obviously caught the sun (= become red or brown) on holiday.
I was driving westwards and I had the sun in my eyes (= the sun was shining in my eyes) .
—see also sunny
3.
[ C ] ( technical ) any star around which planets move
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IDIOMS
- under the sun
- with the sun
—more at hay , place noun
■ verb
( -nn- ) [ vn ] sun yourself to sit or lie in a place where the sun is shining on you :
We lay sunning ourselves on the deck.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English sunne , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zon and German Sonne , from an Indo-European root shared by Greek hēlios and Latin sol .