skylight

American  

[skahy-lahyt] / ˈskaɪˌlaɪt /

noun

• skylights
  plural

1. an opening in a roof or ceiling, fitted with glass, for admitting daylight.

2. the frame set with glass fitted to such an opening.

3. Meteorology. the diffuse light from the sky, scattered by air molecules, as distinguished from the direct radiation from the sun.

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skylight British  

/ ˈskaɪˌlaɪt /

noun

1. Also called: fanlight.  a window placed in a roof or ceiling to admit daylight

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• skylights
  plural

Etymology

Origin of skylight

First recorded in 1670–80; sky + light ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

skylight skylights

The dining room is an entertainer’s dream thanks to its skylight, piano, and large seating table.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 14, 2026

The blunt imposing tower, in the rear, is in fact a chapel, a soaring whitewashed space illuminated by its own skylight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

We settled on a few places, including beneath a skylight that streamed natural light into a hallway.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025

The skylight was usually secured by an alarm but that had been deactivated while the roof was being mended.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025

He’d started carving designs into the pine beams and had installed a homemade skylight in the roof, which was awesome.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

Designed to blend into the historic Baroque park, they are notable for their curved ceramic facades, daylight from skylights, accessibility features, drinking fountains -- and free use.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

The 55,000-square-foot hall, lit by gaping skylights in its 75-foot-high ceilings, reopened last November as Ballers, a sports club that has three glass-and-mesh-enclosed padel courts, along with golf simulators and courts for squash and pickleball.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

The building is also lit all year round by large skylights in the roof.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

“Orange lighting and skylights and filled with plants. So it feels calm.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026

The center of the hallway rose upward, creating a massive atrium with shattered glass skylights that cut through the roof forty feet above.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith