flashlight
Americannoun
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flashlights
plural
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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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
They were still inspecting the damage by flashlight and Israeli security services were still present when the settlers attacked again, according to the family and the lawyer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Pancho’s brother called up the leaders of the self-defense milita, and soon 200 men were combing the hills by flashlight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Its light sweeps across the surface almost like a flashlight lying flat on a table.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
Armed with a helmet and a flashlight, Hernan Giraldo had no intention of giving up on his son.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The weak flashlight beams didn’t penetrate far below the surface, and they sometimes died altogether when their batteries ran out or the boys in the boat fell asleep.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
In some cases, you can even find vehicle-inspired first-aid kits that include items such as emergency blankets, flashlights, road flares, emergency markers, and more.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
County schools had to be issued flashlights to help children on their way to school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Ultraviolet flashlights attracted only a small number of isopods and never triggered the swirling formations.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
By Thursday morning, residents were lining up to buy first-aid kits, flashlights, solar chargers, duct tape and tents to drop off at donation sites that sprang up across a community known as “Doralzuela.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The second I touch my head to the pillow, the door to the dormitory opens, and people stream into the room with flashlights.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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.
