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I've tried to search whether I should use "outshined" or "outshone".

My spellcheck underlines "outshined", but dictionary.com suggests I can use either. Which one should it be?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/outshined

Ally
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  • See this similar question on shined versus shone. The short version: in the U.K. people generally use shone for everything except shoes. In the U.S., people generally use shone except for the transitive sense; for example, "he shined his flashlight on the creature". Since "outshine" isn't used in that transitive sense, I'd recommend "outshone". – Peter Shor Oct 10 '14 at 09:59

2 Answers2

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I would use "outshone" as it is used more often than "outshined".

EDIT: However this ngram may be inaccurate as there is a song called "Outshined".

Abraham Zhang
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Collins gives the usage note I'd expect for the form 'shined' [past tense]:

shine vb, shines, shining or shone

  1. (intr) to emit light
  2. (intr) to glow or be bright with reflected light
  3. (tr) to direct the light of (a lamp, etc): he shone the torch in my eyes.
  4. (tr; past tense and past participle shined) to cause to gleam by polishing: to shine shoes.
  5. ...

I'd say that this licenses 'outshined' only if you were comparing the efforts of two shoeshine boys or valets, or, in the US at least [see Peter's comment], indicating a greater proficiency in the use of a torch. Both of which seem marginal senses.

Edwin Ashworth
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  • That's *not* what Collins says. As I interpret that entry, it says that either shined or shone is acceptable as a past tense *except* for polishing shoes. Otherwise, it would have specified shone for senses 1, 2, and 3. (What you recommend is indeed British usage, but Americans use shined for sense 3 as well, and occasionally for senses 1 and 2. I think Collins is trying to cover both sides of the Atlantic in the usage note.) – Peter Shor Oct 10 '14 at 10:01
  • Yes, the dictionary is inaccurate here; 'shining or shone' makes no sense. I've added the other far-fetched possibility to reflect the 'US usage' (the term is reasonably meaningful in this case). – Edwin Ashworth Oct 10 '14 at 10:13
  • Actually, the online version of Collins doesn't have the or, and says "shone" for British English, and "shone, shined" for American. So you're essentially correct. – Peter Shor Oct 10 '14 at 10:17
  • @Peter These polyseme- (and as you indicate, region-) sensitive verb forms fascinate me. I'd say 'I speeded up.' but 'I sped up the hill.'. I'd not use the past simple form 'fit' for any sense. And yes, I'd only use 'shined' (and use only 'shined') for 'put a shine on'. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 10 '14 at 10:43
  • Also, it's fascinating to compare / contrast the two 'editions' of 'Collins' we've linked to. Very similar, but ... – Edwin Ashworth Oct 10 '14 at 10:48
  • Judging from this Ngram, there are some people in the U.K. for whom the past tense of "shine my shoes" is "polished my shoes". – Peter Shor Oct 10 '14 at 11:04
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    In general, the 'polish' sense of 'shine' is rare to very rare over here, in my estimation. Though there is no choice with 'shoeshine boy'. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 10 '14 at 11:22