strobe

American  

[strohb] / stroʊb /

noun

1. Also called strobe light.  stroboscope.

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adjective

1. stroboscopic.

strobe British  

/ strəʊb /

noun

1. short for strobe lighting stroboscope

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verb

1. to give the appearance of arrested or slow motion by using intermittent illumination

strobe Scientific  

/ strōb /

1. A strobe light.

2. A stroboscope.

3. A spot of higher than normal intensity in the sweep of an indicator on a scanning device, as on a radar screen, used as a reference mark for determining the position or distance of the object scanned or detected.

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Usage

What does strobe mean? Strobe is another name for a strobe light—a type of specialized lamp that produces a continuous series of short, bright flashes of light. Strobe lights are also called stroboscopes or stroboscopic lamps. Strobe can also be used as a verb meaning to flash in such a way. The kind of rapid flashing produced by a strobe light (called strobe lighting) has the effect of seeming to freeze the movement of things in motion. This happens because the thing that’s moving—such as a person dancing—is only lit up for a fraction of a second. Strobe lights are associated with their use at concerts, raves, and dance clubs, but they also have technical uses in photography. Because strobes produce very short, extremely bright bursts of light, they can be used in conjunction with a camera to photograph a rapidly moving object, such as a bullet, for such a short duration that it will appear to be standing still in the resulting photo. Strobes also have other scientific uses involving the measurement of vibration and other types of high-speed motion. Strobes look like they’re just flashing on and off, but this effect is usually produced by an electric discharge in a gas or a disc that rotates in front of a light source. Example: I hate going to concerts that use strobes—I end up having to close my eyes most of the time to shield them from the bright flashes.

Etymology

Origin of strobe

First recorded in 1940–45; shortened form

Explanation

A strobe is a light or lamp that flashes regularly and can make moving objects look like they're not moving or like they're moving very slowly. Strobe lights are good for dance parties. If the object you're looking at using a strobe is moving at the same frequency as the strobe is flashing, the object appears completely motionless. Scientists use strobes to study the way things oscillate, vibrate, or rotate. Nightclubs use strobes to make dancers appear as though they're moving in slow motion, and car mechanics use them to improve a car engine's efficiency by measuring its rotation. The Greek root strobos means "a twisting."

Example Sentences

There was a rock band, strobe lights, and a juggler.

From Slate • Dec. 23, 2025

There was an almighty roar as she took to the stage, washed in strobe lights, and launched into her recent single Hammer.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025

I am about to be subjected to strobe lighting while music plays – as part of a research project trying to understand what makes us truly human.

From BBC • May 25, 2025

A blurry shot of Club F—, the space dense with bodies under the strobe lights.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2024

“So the white strobe you see”—I point—“is the tail.”

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King