pilot light
Americannoun
-
Also called pilot, pilot burner. a small flame kept burning continuously, as in a gas stove or furnace, to relight the main gas burners whenever necessary or desired.
noun
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a small auxiliary flame that ignites the main burner of a gas appliance when the control valve opens
-
a small electric light used as an indicator
Etymology
Origin of pilot light
First recorded in 1885–90
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.
Checking and relighting a pilot light is something you can do yourself; SoCalGas suggests consulting the furnace owner’s manual or contacting the utility for assistance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2023
“The pilot light got ignited by ‘In Bruges.’”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 18, 2022
As it had hundreds of times before in hundreds of previous matches, her opponent’s nerve lit Williams’s pilot light.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 2, 2022
And in light of her age, her drive and her talent, it would come as quite a surprise if Swiatek, with Nadal for a pilot light, does not win at Roland Garros again.
From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2022
However, he was alert, and he snapped open the spy hole, at the same time opening the tap that allowed a flow of naphtha past the pilot light in the buttress outside.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
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.
