Ray — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈrā/

Meaning & Definition of Ray

Ray (noun)

  1. any of an order (Rajiformes) of usually marine cartilaginous fishes (such as stingrays and skates) having the body flattened dorsoventrally, the eyes on the upper surface, and enlarged pectoral fins fused with the head
  2. any of the lines of light that appear to radiate from a bright object
  3. a beam of radiant energy (such as light) of small cross section
  4. a stream of material particles traveling in the same line (as in radioactive phenomena)

Ray (verb)

  1. to shine in or as if in rays
  2. to issue as rays
  3. to extend like the radii of a circle, radiate

Ray (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a narrow sharply defined line of light radiating from an object

    "two red eyes reflected in the ray of light from the flashlight"

    similar: beam, shaft
    related: moonbeam, sunbeam, sunburst, laser, spotlight

  2. a very small amount

    "the tapping sound ceased, extinguishing the last ray of hope that the trapped miners were still alive"

    similar: ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, scintilla, scruple, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, smell, smidgen, snap, soupçon, spark, spatter, speck, splash, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, trace, drop in the bucket
    related: hoot, iota, jot, minim, minimum, modicum, semblance, syllable, tittle, vestige, whit, atom, dot, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, mote, nubbin, patch, scrap, dash, drop, pinch, part, portion, section, bite, nibble, taste, handful, scattering, smatter, smattering, dose, shot, chip, flake, fragment, shard, shiver, sliver, smithereens, splinter, tatter, clipping, paring, shaving
    near: abundance, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel, deal, fistful, gobs, heaps, lashings (chiefly British), loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, oodles, passel, peck, pile, plenty, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, wad, wealth, volume, bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overflow, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus, chunk, hunk, lump, slab

Ray (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to emit rays of light

    "klieg lights were raying against the nighttime sky at the Hollywood premiere"

    similar: beam, radiate, shine
    related: blaze, burn, fire, flame, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glister, glitter, glow, luminesce, sheen, shimmer, blink, coruscate, flare, flash, flicker, luster, scintillate, spangle, sparkle, twinkle, wink, winkle, beat (down), glare, brighten, illuminate, illumine, irradiate, light, lighten, bedazzle, blind, daze, dazzle
    near: blacken, darken, lower

  2. to extend outwards from or as if from a central point

    "laugh wrinkles rayed out from the corners of the old man's eyes"

    similar: branch, fan (out), radiate
    related: diffuse, dispel, disperse, dissipate, fork, stem, diverge, divide, part, ramify, separate, split, uncouple, unlink, unyoke, scatter, splay, spread, arise, derive, emanate, flow, issue, proceed, spring
    opposite: concentrate, converge, focus, funnel, meet
    near: approach, close in (on), near, center (on), centralize, connect, couple, join, link, unite

Related Entry: Manta ray (noun)

Manta ray is a different word from Ray. The synonyms below are for manta ray, not for ray.

  1. any of several extremely large rays

    "the manta ray blended in beautifully with the sandy ocean floor"

    similar: devilfish, manta, sea devil
    related: ray, skate

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Ray

The most common words with a similar meaning to Ray:

beam, shaft, ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, scintilla, scruple, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, smell, smidgen, snap, soupçon, spark, spatter, speck, splash, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, trace

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Ray

Words with the opposite meaning of Ray:

concentrate, converge, focus, funnel, meet

Related Words for Ray

moonbeam, sunbeam, sunburst, laser, spotlight, hoot, iota, jot, minim, minimum, modicum, semblance, syllable, tittle, vestige, whit, atom, dot, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, mote, nubbin, patch, scrap, dash, drop

Near Antonyms of Ray

abundance, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel, deal, fistful, gobs, heaps, lashings, loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, oodles, passel, peck, pile, plenty, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, wad

Word Forms of Ray

Inflections: rayed, raying, rays

Derived words: rayed (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Ray

Middle English raye, from Anglo-French raie, from Latin raia

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Ray

Words & Phrases Containing Ray

ray flower, ray tracing, ray of hope, ray of sunshine

Frequently Asked Questions about Ray

What does "Ray" mean?

"Ray" means any of an order (Rajiformes) of usually marine cartilaginous fishes (such as stingrays and skates) having the body flattened dorsoventrally, the eyes on the upper surface, and enlarged pectoral fins fused with the head. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: any of an order (Rajiformes) of usually marine cartilaginous fishes (such as stingrays and skates) having the body flattened dorsoventrally, the eyes on the upper surface, and enlarged pectoral fins fused with the head. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Ray"?

Other words for "Ray" include beam, shaft, ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram and driblet. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Ray" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Ray"?

There are 161 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Ray". Common alternatives include beam, shaft, ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer and hint.

What is the opposite of "Ray"?

Antonyms of "Ray" include concentrate, converge, focus, funnel and meet. Near antonyms include abundance, barrel, boatload and bucket.

How do you use "Ray" in a sentence?

Examples of "Ray" in a sentence: "two red eyes reflected in the ray of light from the flashlight"; "the tapping sound ceased, extinguishing the last ray of hope that the trapped miners were still alive"; "klieg lights were raying against the nighttime sky at the Hollywood premiere".

Is "Ray" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Ray" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Ray" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Ray" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Ray"?

"Ray" is pronounced /ˈrā/.