footlights

plural noun

foot·​lights ˈfu̇t-ˌlīts How to pronounce footlights (audio)
1
: a row of lights set across the front of a stage floor
2
: the stage as a profession
the lure of the footlights

Examples of footlights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Showbiz is Liza Minnelli: someone who’s been through it, over and over again, but gets up on that stage, feels the footlights, and their inner truth just beams out. Vulture, 2 Feb. 2022 In the wake of racial and cultural reckonings, artistic leaders are also struggling to figure out how to hold onto existing audiences while doing a better job of creating a more inclusive theatrical environment on both sides of the footlights. Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2022 In front, under the footlights, is the orchestra pit, with stairway to musician’s dressing and locker rooms under the stage. San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2022 Fountain Theatre discussed the ruling across the footlights, right in the middle of a live show. Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2022 Marianne Elliott, and the understudies and COVID safety teams who've kept the footlights on in an uncertain time. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 June 2022 With the footlights now illuminated once more, has there been any true transformation? Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 31 May 2022 My last chance to tread the boards had fizzled, the footlights shut down, and why not? Cynthia Ozick, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2022 Elsewhere are 11 bedrooms, 8.5 bathrooms, a grand salon, library and theater with original footlights and a bar. Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'footlights.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of footlights was in 1776

Dictionary Entries Near footlights

Cite this Entry

“Footlights.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/footlights. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

footlights

noun plural
foot·​lights ˈfu̇t-ˌlīts How to pronounce footlights (audio)
1
: a row of lights set across the front of a stage floor
2
: acting on the stage as a profession
the attraction of the footlights

More from Merriam-Webster on footlights

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