beacon

[ bee-kuhn ]

/ ˈbi kən /

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noun

a guiding or warning signal, as a light or fire, especially one in an elevated position.

a tower or hill used for such purposes.

a lighthouse, signal buoy, etc., on a shore or at a dangerous area at sea to warn and guide vessels.

Navigation.

radio beacon.
a radar device at a fixed location that, upon receiving a radar pulse, transmits a reply pulse that enables the original sender to determine his or her position relative to the fixed location.

a person, act, or thing that warns or guides.

a person or thing that illuminates or inspires: The Bible has been our beacon during this trouble.

Digital Technology. web beacon.

verb (used with object)

to serve as a beacon to; warn or guide.

to furnish or mark with beacons: a ship assigned to beacon the shoals.

verb (used without object)

to serve or shine as a beacon: A steady light beaconed from the shore.

OTHER WORDS FOR beacon

1 beam, buoy, pharos; signal fire; balefire.

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Origin of beacon

First recorded before 950; Middle English beken, Old English bēacen “sign, signal”; cognate with Old Frisian bāken, Old Saxon bōkan, Old High German bouhhan

OTHER WORDS FROM beacon

bea·con·less, adjectiveun·bea·coned, adjective

Words nearby beacon

beach volleyball, beachwear, beach wormwood, beachy, Beachy Head, beacon, beaconage, Beacon Hill, beacon school, Beaconsfield, beacon status

Other definitions for beacon (2 of 2)

Beacon

[ bee-kuhn ]

/ ˈbi kən /

noun

a city in SE New York.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use beacon in a sentence

This year, with sales depressed by the coronavirus, pickup sales have been a beacon of strength for automakers, which are trying to make up for production lost when factories were forced to close earlier in the year.
An electric Hummer? Battery-powered trucks head to showrooms|Verne Kopytoff|October 21, 2020|Fortune
In a Telegram message, Buterin rebutted Wood’s claims, pointing to Ethereum’s impending deployment of a new version of its blockchain called Beacon, and to a series of improvements related to privacy and transaction capacity.
The blockchain industry faces a moment of truth as high-profile projects go live|Jeff|October 21, 2020|Fortune
For more than 100 years, the club sandwich has been a sturdy, protein-packed beacon of dependability.
Long Live the Room-Service Club Sandwich|Rafael Tonon|October 9, 2020|Eater
To be sure, Cincinnati isn’t some ideal beacon of diversity.
Cincinnati’s Secret Sauce to Help Minority Businesses Succeed|Nick Fouriezos|September 15, 2020|Ozy

Released by the insects, these airborne scents could act as an beacon.
A single chemical may draw lonely locusts into a hungry swarm|Jonathan Lambert|September 7, 2020|Science News For Students
For James, wearing the shirt was “more of a shout-out to the family more than anything,” he told the Akron Beacon Journal.
‘I Can’t Breathe’ Makes It Onto the Court for Will and Kate to See|Jacob Siegel|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
John Paul II told the European Union at the time that it was “a beacon of civilization.”
Pope’s Blistering Attack on ‘Haggard’ Europe|Nico Hines|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And my beloved Zimbabwe has sunk from a promising beacon into an abyss of greed and dictatorship.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But simultaneously, as indicated by his support for Beacon, journalism is still incredibly valuable to him.
The 'Mayor of the Internet' Fights the Good Fight|Gideon Resnick|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I also think Christine Baranski is a beacon of light and I, too, would like to know what Josh Charles was thinking.
The Best Emmys Moments: Seth Meyers, Bryan Cranston, and a 'Seinfeld' Kiss|Kevin Fallon|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Those who follow her beacon faithfully will gradually rise to the solutions of the greatest problems.
Urania|Camille Flammarion
The brilliant beacon of the Eiffel Tower sat high up in the sky, like an exile star.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
If they had not known every inch of the way as they did know it, a beacon-light on the shore would have guided them.
The Rival Campers|Ruel Perley Smith
At length a distant colume of fire, widening and increasing as I approached, served me as a beacon.
Fox's Book of Martyrs|John Foxe
As he went forward his shifting position frequently shut out the beacon-light, but he made no mistake at any point in his walk.
Two Boys in Wyoming|Edward S. Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for beacon

beacon

/ (ˈbiːkən) /

noun

a signal fire or light on a hill, tower, etc, esp one used formerly as a warning of invasion

a hill on which such fires were lit

a lighthouse, signalling buoy, etc, used to warn or guide ships in dangerous waters

short for radio beacon

a radio or other signal marking a flight course in air navigation

short for Belisha beacon

a person or thing that serves as a guide, inspiration, or warning

a stone set by a surveyor to mark a corner or line of a site boundary, etc

verb

to guide or warn

(intr) to shine

Word Origin for beacon

Old English beacen sign; related to Old Frisian bāken, Old Saxon bōcan, Old High German bouhhan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

beacon

OTHER WORDS FOR beacon

Origin of beacon

OTHER WORDS FROM beacon

Words nearby beacon

Other definitions for beacon (2 of 2)

Words related to beacon

How to use beacon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beacon

Word Origin for beacon