lighthouse
Americannoun
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a tower or other structure displaying or flashing a very bright light for the guidance of ships in avoiding dangerous areas, in following certain routes, etc.
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either of two cylindrical metal towers placed forward on the forecastle of the main deck of a sailing ship, to house the port and starboard running lights.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lighthouse
Explanation
A lighthouse is a building with a warning light that helps boats to navigate safely, especially when it's dark or foggy. Maine is famous for its many lighthouses. Most lighthouses consist of a narrow tower, with a rotating or flashing light at the top, located near the coast. Before the invention of the lighthouse, fires were lit on hillsides to help captains guide their ships, and after permanent ports were built in coastal areas, permanent lighthouses were constructed. These warned sailors of obstacles at sea, rocky coastlines, and harbor entrances — and their designs grew more complex through the 18th century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Pulling alongside the Portland Head Light, a lighthouse dating to 1791, Martin yanked up a trap that held three shiny lobsters, and then demonstrated how to measure their shells with calipers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Bill Green offered to take me out on his boat and show me a cool lighthouse.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
His father was a lighthouse keeper, living in solitude on the Greek island of Kandelioussa for 16 years before entering a family-arranged marriage with his mother.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
This makes the system behave like a flashing cosmic lighthouse.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026
Every night Leander swam across to her, guided by the light, some say of the lighthouse in Sestus, some of a torch Hero always set blazing on the top of a tower.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
For those wanting to stay somewhere away from the norm, there are choices around the UK ranging from lighthouses and windmills to prison cells and tree houses.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
“But he was kind of one of the lighthouses of integrity and common sense and spoke truth to power, but also got the powers to speak to one another.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
And he had fresh orders to get to work at one of the country’s most isolated — and most dangerous — lighthouses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2025
Sea caves, historic lighthouses and beautiful scenery await, as does a chance to learn about the culture of the region’s first inhabitants, the Ojibwe.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
They were passing floating lighthouses, slicing through dark and stormy clouds.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
