spotlight
Americannoun
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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.
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a lamp for producing such a light.
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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.
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the area of immediate or conspicuous public attention.
Asia is in the spotlight now.
verb (used with object)
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to direct the beam of a spotlight upon; light with a spotlight.
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to make conspicuous; call attention to.
Newspapers spotlighted the story for a week.
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to hunt (animals) using a spotlight in order to temporarily blind or confuse them.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a powerful light focused so as to illuminate a small area, usually mounted so that it can be directed at will
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the focus of attention
verb
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to direct a spotlight on
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to focus attention on
Other Word Forms
- spotlighter noun
- unspotlighted adjective
Etymology
Origin of spotlight
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.
CMAT'S debut album, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, won the Choice Music Prize, while its follow‑up, Crazymad, For Me, earned a Mercury Prize nomination and pushed her even further into the spotlight.
From BBC
And over the last few weeks, Miller has found himself in unfamiliar territory - a behind-the-scenes operator suddenly in the national spotlight, whose words and actions are being scrutinised.
From BBC
This show draws national attention to purebred dogs and their competition, as the Puppy Bowl spotlights rescue and adoption.
From Salon
Safety in Waterfall Country is under the spotlight more than ever.
From BBC
He said that she never really had a chance to establish an identity outside of skiing because she was such a phenom, and so squarely in the public spotlight.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
