verb
illuminate
ih-LOO-mih-nayt
verb
1
To light up or shine light onto something.
"Fairy lights illuminated the garden for the party."
"The full moon illuminated the path ahead of them."
2
To make something clearer or easier to understand.
"Her comment illuminated exactly why the project had stalled."
How to Use Illuminate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo shine light on something physically, or to make an idea clearer.
Common pairings
illuminate the room
illuminate the subject
brightly illuminated
Word Forms
more illuminate comparative, illuminated past tense, illuminates plural, illuminates singular, most illuminate superlative
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Fairy lights _____ the garden for the party.
Etymology
From Latin illuminare, "to light up" — in- ("in") + lumen ("light").