taillight

American  

[tayl-lahyt] / ˈteɪlˌlaɪt /

noun

• taillights
  plural

1. a light, usually red, at the rear of an automobile, train, etc.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• taillights
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of taillight

First recorded in 1835–45; tail ¹ + light ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

taillight taillights

The officer walked up to my idling Impala and informed me that my left taillight was out.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

An orange car pulled into the parking lot, with a busted taillight, and a few members of the group got up and hobbled over.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026

But they often prefer to work with local police in such situations, who have much broader latitude to stop cars for reasons other than immigration, such as if someone is driving with a broken taillight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

The hair and a swab used on the taillight were sent to outside labs for DNA testing, said Harnett, who also analyzed O’Keefe’s clothing.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2024

At 5:48 the cop smiles after verifying Dad’s identity on Google, and says, You “Da Man”! At 5:50 Dad autographs a Krispy Kreme napkin for the officer and gets a warning for his broken taillight.

From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander

The streets in the Lukyanivka district are empty and almost completely dark, save for the red taillights of a municipal garbage truck beginning its shift.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

The body panels have exposed fasteners, allowing—even encouraging—DIY’ers to swap out panels and upgrade exterior features, such as fog lights, signals, headlights and taillights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

Exodus became a dangerous trail of taillights flickering through the dust like fading fireflies, and camps across the playa feared they’d be stuck breaking down until the end of the week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2024

Although the systems and components on the Le Mans model are similar to the Next Gen car, the Le Mans version had functioning headlights and taillights.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 11, 2023

Cars were rushing past us and their taillights glowed red, like mean eyes staring at us.

From "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo

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