house lights

British

plural noun

the lights in the auditorium of a theatre, cinema, etc

"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

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.

The house lights turned on as 2,800 people rose to their feet for endless applause.

From Slate • Jun. 30, 2025

But under the house lights each week on live TV, Johnson knows storylines are sold on his Hollywood heel persona.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 4, 2024

Mounsey was sitting behind a laptop, which she used to drop sound cues, and the blinding house lights remained on as Weiss engaged in crowd work.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2024

Another number played in its stead before the house lights came up.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2022

While he kissed me I kept my eyes open and tried to memorize the spacing of the house lights so I would never forget them.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023