headlight
Americannoun
-
headlights
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of headlight
Explanation
If you’re driving a car at night, you’re using your car’s headlights to light up the road in front of you. Headlights are the eyes of a car or train, beaming light to help you see what is ahead. The headlight is an important part of an automobile, and without it you could only drive at night where there are lots of street lights. On unlit roads, a deer might jump in front of your car and just stand there — staring into the light from your headlights. That’s where the expression “like a deer in headlights” comes from, and it means being really still after a shock, like you’re frozen in place.
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:
Tucker’s other innovations included a padded dashboard for safety, four-wheel independent suspension and a cyclops-like center headlight that rotated with the steering wheel to improve visibility around corners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Although headlight glare does affect younger people, age is thought to be a factor.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Additionally, please take good care to notice signage regarding segments of the highway where daytime headlight use is required.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2025
Early this year, Rivian recalled 17,260 vehicles in the U.S. over a headlight issue that could reduce visibility and increase the risk of a crash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
After a while she heard the sound of an automobile in the distance and soon she could see one headlight.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
Even if the visible damage is limited to the hood, radiator and front bumper, there may be damage to other parts, including the cooling system, headlights, sensors and other important elements.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
It works much like estimating how far away a car is at night if you know how bright its headlights are.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
Taking a page from the Build-A-Bear store, Slate’s pickups will start life with a minimum of equipment beyond that required by law—windshield, wipers, headlights, brakes, that sort of thing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Ryan Jones, a transit van driver, told the court he was driving at about 50 to 60mph when he noticed headlights up close behind him in his wing mirrors.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
He doused his headlights and quietly coasted to a stop.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
