spotlight
Americannoun
-
spotlights
plural
-
a strong, focused light thrown upon a particular spot, as on a small area of a stage or in a television studio, for making some object, person, or group especially conspicuous.
-
a lamp for producing such a light.
-
a brilliant light with a focused beam, mounted on the side of an automobile and used for illuminating objects not within range of the headlights.
-
the area of immediate or conspicuous public attention.
Asia is in the spotlight now.
verb (used with object)
-
spotlights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spotlighted,
past participle, past
-
spotlit,
past participle, past
-
spotlighting
present participle
-
to direct the beam of a spotlight upon; light with a spotlight.
-
to make conspicuous; call attention to.
Newspapers spotlighted the story for a week.
-
to hunt (animals) using a spotlight in order to temporarily blind or confuse them.
verb (used without object)
-
spotlights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spotlighted,
past participle, past
-
spotlit,
past participle, past
-
spotlighting
present participle
noun
-
a powerful light focused so as to illuminate a small area, usually mounted so that it can be directed at will
-
the focus of attention
verb
-
to direct a spotlight on
-
to focus attention on
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
spotlightsimple
-
spotlightssimple
-
have spotlightedperfect
-
have spotlitperfect
-
has spotlightedperfect
-
has spotlitperfect
-
am spotlightingprogressive
-
are spotlightingprogressive
-
is spotlightingprogressive
-
have been spotlightingperfect progressive
-
has been spotlightingperfect progressive
Past
-
spotlightedsimple
-
spotlitsimple
-
had spotlightedperfect
-
had spotlitperfect
-
was spotlightingprogressive
-
were spotlightingprogressive
-
had been spotlightingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spotlight
Explanation
A spotlight is a bright beam of light that shines on people on stage. Actors and rock stars love spending time in the spotlight when they’re performing, but if they’re famous they’re in the spotlight all the time. If you star in the school play, you'll be in a literal spotlight, illuminated on the stage while you sing your big solo number. If some day you're elected President of the United States, you'll be in a figurative spotlight, at the center of intense attention by the public. You can also call this limelight. Lighting experts often call spotlights followspots.
Vocabulary lists containing spotlight
Theater - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Theater - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Theater - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Wilcox is back in the spotlight, after also being targeted by Ruben Amorim in his final press conference before his dismissal in January.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
“He always allowed the musicians around him to shine in their strengths, generous with the spotlight and appreciative of what each brought to the music,” Steiling continued in the band’s Facebook post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The issue will be in the spotlight at the COP31 climate summit in Turkey next month, with the hosts saying they will push for "climate-responsible AI".
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Earnings season kicks off Tuesday with big banks in focus, but tech is stealing the spotlight, with that sector set to continue selling off following an alarming slump in Korean chip stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The word makes me feel jittery and nervous, like there’s suddenly a spotlight glaring down on me, announcing to the entire room that I’m not like everyone else.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
That the case spotlights this kind of story at all is important in its own right.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
The paper also spotlights the Chief Rabbi's words, who called it "truly a dark day for British Jews".
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Although the report spotlights some of the issues, Marquez said, a more thorough study needs to be done to get a handle on the entire health effects of the fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
This poignant exhibition at the University of Cambridge spotlights work made during or after violent conflict, ranging from World War I ‘trench art’ to artifacts from the current war in Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Ahead of me, the bank around the bridge was all awash in hot white spotlights.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
Across roughly 160 paid robot hours and nearly 100 cleanings, Tau’s early runs have spotlighted the unpredictability of operating human-shaped robots in the real world.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Followers have been suggesting spots in their own cities where crashes are frequent and they believe the problem should be spotlighted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
None have been retracted, although Nature Medicine last week retracted a separate paper about cancer treatment led by Chinese researchers that Geng hadn’t spotlighted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Zuckerberg spotlighted a new Muse Spark AI model built by Meta's nascent "Superintelligence Lab", saying its technology will be put to work in Meta's offerings such as smartglasses and its advertising system.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
A sunbeam spotlighted the rise and fall of his white belly.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
That was the earliest memory I have of actually seeing a Deaf person being kind of spotlit, in any way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025
Summer, 1954 With her paper-cluttered desk spotlit underneath a pendant lamp, Margaret Mead’s office in the western turret in the American Museum of Natural History resembled a Broadway theater set.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2024
One species in particular gets spotlit in the new report: beavers.
From The Verge ● Dec. 14, 2021
The jaunty, loose phrasing of the songs allowed space for electrifying dance solos, always in observance of good jazz etiquette, with the ensemble growing quiet while the spotlit artist tore up the floor.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 4, 2021
The show is titled “The Journey Home,” and it is not small: more than two dozen paintings, works on paper and overpainted photographs, installed across two floors, melodramatically spotlit.
From New York Times ● Nov. 5, 2021
The art world is increasingly sleuthing and spotlighting these overlooked sitters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Typically, the messaging about the sporting event spotlighting the country’s greatness comes from the top down.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
ESA's Mars Express mission is spotlighting Shalbatana Vallis this month, an enormous Martian valley marked by evidence of ancient water, volcanic activity, impact craters, and collapsed terrain.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
A new art gallery spotlighting artwork by artists from the South Asian diaspora is to open to the public this week.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
Whether or not museums chose to change the wall labels next to some of Vermeer’s paintings, the public had done an amazing job of spotlighting any possible fraud.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
