spotlight
Americannoun
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spotlights
plural
-
a strong, focused light thrown upon a particular spot, as on a small area of a stage or in a television studio, for making some object, person, or group especially conspicuous.
-
a lamp for producing such a light.
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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.
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the area of immediate or conspicuous public attention.
Asia is in the spotlight now.
verb (used with object)
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spotlights,
present (3rd person singular)
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spotlighted,
past participle, past
-
spotlit,
past participle, past
-
spotlighting
present participle
-
to direct the beam of a spotlight upon; light with a spotlight.
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to make conspicuous; call attention to.
Newspapers spotlighted the story for a week.
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to hunt (animals) using a spotlight in order to temporarily blind or confuse them.
verb (used without object)
-
spotlights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spotlighted,
past participle, past
-
spotlit,
past participle, past
-
spotlighting
present participle
noun
-
a powerful light focused so as to illuminate a small area, usually mounted so that it can be directed at will
-
the focus of attention
verb
-
to direct a spotlight on
-
to focus attention on
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
spotlightsimple
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spotlightssimple
-
have spotlightedperfect
-
have spotlitperfect
-
has spotlightedperfect
-
has spotlitperfect
-
am spotlightingprogressive
-
are spotlightingprogressive
-
is spotlightingprogressive
-
have been spotlightingperfect progressive
-
has been spotlightingperfect progressive
Past
-
spotlightedsimple
-
spotlitsimple
-
had spotlightedperfect
-
had spotlitperfect
-
was spotlightingprogressive
-
were spotlightingprogressive
-
had been spotlightingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spotlight
Explanation
A spotlight is a bright beam of light that shines on people on stage. Actors and rock stars love spending time in the spotlight when they’re performing, but if they’re famous they’re in the spotlight all the time. If you star in the school play, you'll be in a literal spotlight, illuminated on the stage while you sing your big solo number. If some day you're elected President of the United States, you'll be in a figurative spotlight, at the center of intense attention by the public. You can also call this limelight. Lighting experts often call spotlights followspots.
Vocabulary lists containing spotlight
Theater - Introductory
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Theater - Middle School
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Theater - High School
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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:
That hardly diminishes a lifetime spent largely out of the spotlight as a dedicated public servant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
"I no longer wish to feel as though I am living under a constant spotlight, where every aspect of my life is subject to public examination and judgement," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
It also gave them a spotlight on local news.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
“It puts a spotlight on the Novo Nordisk pipeline and its robustness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The first-class seat cushion absorbs my weight as the plane takes off, bound for the small city that will soon be in the spotlight.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
The Independent spotlights fears of the impact of the migrant crossing across Europe, with Italy suspending the EU's border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
This poignant exhibition at the University of Cambridge spotlights work made during or after violent conflict, ranging from World War I ‘trench art’ to artifacts from the current war in Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The population of the 27-nation European Union will peak in 2029 before falling in the coming decades, according to a report published Tuesday that spotlights the major challenges the bloc faces from an ageing population.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Rather than trying to brighten the room, he leaned into the moodiness by buying inexpensive, USB battery-powered spotlights that are mounted on the ceiling with magnets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The city spotlights Quichua parades and rituals, like the pilgrimage to the Peguche waterfall, promoting them as tourist attractions.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
The bolero genre’s popularity and cultural significance has been spotlighted outside of L.A. in recent years as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
A 2025 internal document spotlighted YouTube’s “two biggest challenges” for teen well-being: low-quality recommendations that can “normalize unhealthy beliefs” and “prolonged unintentional use.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
"So it's amazing when you can get spotlighted in that way and you're still breaking through but you're around these huge heritage names," Maisie says.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
The justice did more than accuse her colleagues of misapplying the law; she also spotlighted their refusal to defend their actions, suggesting that they stayed silent because they had no defense.
From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2026
A sunbeam spotlighted the rise and fall of his white belly.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
That was the earliest memory I have of actually seeing a Deaf person being kind of spotlit, in any way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025
Summer, 1954 With her paper-cluttered desk spotlit underneath a pendant lamp, Margaret Mead’s office in the western turret in the American Museum of Natural History resembled a Broadway theater set.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2024
The spine of the play is a spotlit monologue by Janina, who dips in and out of the action as it unfolds around her.
From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
One species in particular gets spotlit in the new report: beavers.
From The Verge ● Dec. 14, 2021
The jaunty, loose phrasing of the songs allowed space for electrifying dance solos, always in observance of good jazz etiquette, with the ensemble growing quiet while the spotlit artist tore up the floor.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 4, 2021
Typically, the messaging about the sporting event spotlighting the country’s greatness comes from the top down.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
ESA's Mars Express mission is spotlighting Shalbatana Vallis this month, an enormous Martian valley marked by evidence of ancient water, volcanic activity, impact craters, and collapsed terrain.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
The film, with Farhan Akhtar as Major Shaitan Singh, failed at the box office but succeeded in spotlighting a battle often described as the only silver lining in a war India lost.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026
Fresh off Lucknow’s designation as a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy, tourism officials are spotlighting historic food corridors such as Aminabad and Chowk, through culinary experiences with local operators like Tornos and Roobaroo Walks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
But the Inspectors’ cars were forever snooping and spotlighting those dark streets, taking from poor men their one privacy, the night.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
