flashlight
Americannoun
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especially British, torch. a small, portable electric lamp powered by dry batteries, LEDs, or a tiny generator.
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a light that flashes, such as a lighthouse beacon.
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any source of artificial light as used in flash photography.
noun
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Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): torch. a small portable electric lamp powered by one or more dry batteries
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Sometimes shortened to: flash. photog the brief bright light emitted by an electronic flash unit
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a light that flashes, used for signalling, in a lighthouse, etc
Etymology
Origin of flashlight
Explanation
A flashlight is a light that's small enough to hold in your hand and carry around. When you're camping, it's useful to bring a flashlight so you can find your sleeping bag in the dark tent. Most flashlights are powered with batteries, although some of them can be charged in the sun and use the stored solar energy for power. All flashlights are portable, basically small lamps that fit easily in your hand, your pocket, or your backpack. In Britain, a flashlight is often called a torch. The earliest versions of flashlights were invented around 1899.
Vocabulary lists containing flashlight
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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.
But the case was a small flashlight that cast a wide beam, revealing how the insurance industry views its own business and you, the customer.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
In experiments using mice, Edwards showed that this cancer detecting "flashlight" clearly illuminated tumors that produced EphA2.
From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026
One man climbed out of his car into the dark, shined a flashlight into his backpack, and brushed off the long, white sleeves of his cotton shirt.
From Slate • Jan. 27, 2026
When Louisa is 10, she and her Korean-born father go for a walk by the ocean; he’s carrying a flashlight to guide their footsteps.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025
Nhamo turned her flashlight on only when she couldn’t see by the light of the torches.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
