spotlight
a lamp for producing such a light.
a brilliant light with a focused beam, mounted on the side of an automobile and used for illuminating objects not within range of the headlights.
the area of immediate or conspicuous public attention: Asia is in the spotlight now.
to direct the beam of a spotlight upon; light with a spotlight.
to make conspicuous; call attention to: Newspapers spotlighted the story for a week.
to hunt (animals) using a spotlight in order to temporarily blind or confuse them.
to hunt by using a spotlight.
Origin of spotlight
1Other words from spotlight
- spotlighter, noun
- un·spot·light·ed, adjective
Words Nearby spotlight
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use spotlight in a sentence
The last few months have put technology and its role in society, especially in the United States, in the spotlight.
They don’t do it for not a big salary, no spotlight, no interview, just because they care, they want to do something about it.
Kansas City Chiefs Lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Stayed On The COVID-19 Front Lines. Now He's Missing The Super Bowl. | Sean Gregory | February 4, 2021 | TimeNow that I was in the spotlight I was like, “OK, well, now that I got everyone’s attention, I got to really make the world proud and do something.”
Cynthia Bailey on Modeling, Entrepreneurship and the ‘Real Housewife’ Life | Nick Fouriezos | February 4, 2021 | OzyThat spotlight will now fall on Jassy, and politicians are already preparing.
Jeff Bezos stepping down as Amazon CEO, transitioning to executive chair role | Jay Greene, Tony Romm | February 4, 2021 | Washington PostThe actions by two have driven our beautiful town into the national spotlight in ways that do not reflect our whole community.
U.S. prosecutors eye 400 potential suspects, expect sedition charges ‘very soon’ in Jan. 6 Capitol breach | Spencer Hsu, Rachel Weiner, Devlin Barrett | January 27, 2021 | Washington Post
Both Ney and Abramoff have reentered the public spotlight following their sentences, writing books about their experiences.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv | Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTFumes filled the arena, engines revved, and the beastly vehicles made their way out on to the spotlight.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture | Eliza Krigman | November 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe had all the pressure of people in the spotlight and was unbelievably rigorous about keeping it real.
In this age of selfies, the president had chosen someone who never seeks the spotlight and lets her work speak for itself.
For Next AG, Obama Picks a Quiet Fighter With a Heavy Punch | Michael Daly | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDredging up the Wichita Massacre puts the two justices who were part of the 6-to-1 majority ruling in the spotlight.
"I guess mother will be gladder than any of us," replied Betty promptly, trying to shift the spotlight from herself.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle | Laura Lee HopeThe Swami made a determined effort to recapture the spotlight.
Sense from Thought Divide | Mark Irvin CliftonOn the huge statue, a spotlight was following two microscopic figures over the statue's shoulder.
The Jewels of Aptor | Samuel R. DelanyThey had mounted a heavy machine-gun to point seaward and a self-powered spotlight, not turned on, rested nearby.
The Sensitive Man | Poul William AndersonShe saw the spotlight in the hand of an officer up the deck and she hastened toward him.
Ruth Fielding In the Red Cross | Alice B. Emerson
British Dictionary definitions for spotlight
/ (ˈspɒtˌlaɪt) /
a powerful light focused so as to illuminate a small area, usually mounted so that it can be directed at will
the spotlight the focus of attention
to direct a spotlight on
to focus attention on
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with spotlight
see in the limelight (spotlight); steal the show (spotlight).
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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