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.

By which point I was ready to bring up the house lights myself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

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

From Slate • Jun. 30, 2025

The house lights turned on as he made a three-point turn to leave, Walsh said.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 18, 2024

But then the house lights went down and a spotlight went up, and he was holding a mic, looking like a stand-up comedian in full performance mode.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2024

After I took my walk, the house lights came up.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

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