SHED LIGHT ON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does shed light on mean? 

• SHED LIGHT ON (verb)
  The verb SHED LIGHT ON has 1 sense:

1. make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear

  Familiarity information: SHED LIGHT ON used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHED LIGHT ON (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

clear; clear up; crystalise; crystalize; crystallise; crystallize; elucidate; enlighten; illuminate; shed light on; sort out; straighten out

Context example:

Clear up the question of who is at fault

Hypernyms (to "shed light on" is one way to...):

clarify; clear up; elucidate (make clear and (more) comprehensible)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

These differences in atmospheric composition shed light on questions about the planets' formation and history.

(What Uranus Cloud Tops Have in Common With Rotten Eggs, NASA)

Studies of simpler organisms such as butterflies can shed light on how our own behaviour has evolved.

(Butterflies are genetically wired to choose a mate that looks just like them, University of Cambridge)

A better understanding of how the BNST and hypothalamus work to coordinate emotion-related behavior could shed light on the emotional processes dysregulated in addiction.

(Researchers identify key brain circuits for reward-seeking and avoidance behavior, National Institutes of Health)

The ongoing examination of Bennu - and its sample that will eventually be returned to Earth - could potentially shed light on why this intriguing phenomenon is occurring.

(NASA's OSIRIS-REx Explains Bennu Mystery Particles, NASA)

Swirski’s research could eventually shed light on how to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease and other related ailments in humans.

(Some gut cells slow down metabolism, accelerate cardiovascular disease, National Institutes of Health)

The presence of lithium is important to understand the evolutionary history of the planetary system and could shed light on the mechanisms of planet formation.

(Multiple metals – and possible signs of water – found in unique exoplanet, University of Cambridge)

This unprecedented observation could shed light on the life cycle of galaxies.

(ALMA and MUSE Detect Galactic Fountain, ESO)

The discovery is expected to shed light on how the feathers of dinosaurs formed and evolved.

(Dinosaur Tail Found in Myanmar, VOA News)

In the first-ever sequencing of the entire octopus genome, researchers discovered unusual features that shed light on octopus evolution and biology, and set the stage for future studies on complex nervous system development.

(First-ever octopus genome sequenced, NSF)

Using one cosmic mystery to probe another, astronomers analysed the signal from a fast radio burst to shed light on the diffuse gas in the halo of a massive galaxy.

(Enigmatic radio burst illuminates a galaxy’s tranquil ​halo, ESO)