spotlight

1 of 2

noun

spot·​light ˈspät-ˌlīt How to pronounce spotlight (audio)
1
a
: a projected spot of light used to illuminate brilliantly a person, object, or group on a stage
b
: public notice or attention
held the political spotlight
2
a
: a light designed to direct a narrow intense beam of light on a small area
b
: something that illuminates brilliantly

spotlight

2 of 2

verb

spotlighted or spotlit; spotlighting

transitive verb

1
: to illuminate with a spotlight
2
: to direct attention to : highlight

Examples of spotlight in a Sentence

Noun They aimed the spotlight at the center of the stage. A spotlight moved across the stage. The actor stood in the spotlight. a baseball star who hates the spotlight They're always in the spotlight. The news article turned the spotlight on the city's financial problems. Verb She was spotlighted as she sang her solo. The news spotlighted the city's financial problems.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The frightening door plug incident, however, shined a spotlight on the years of safety concerns at the company. Chris Isidore, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 This is not the first time Arizona's manual has had an unwelcome public spotlight. Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 The controversy shines a spotlight on the influential platform, which has largely tried to evade scrutiny since its launch about two years ago. Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 From reproductive rights to immigration to Russia and Israel, the guests shine a spotlight on issues that the leaders have sought to highlight as November's election approaches. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024 With two men in the race whom voters already know well from the 2020 election cycle (and, of course, the decades each spent in the political and media spotlights) and little excitement about either candidate, the key to the race could be turnout. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024 Like many of her costars, Martha Plimpton's role as Stef with the cool earrings catapulted her into the Hollywood spotlight and she's had a steady career since, though The Goonies remains one of her most popular films. Sarah Weldon, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2024 Today, that attitude finds expression in the ASC spotlight award, given for feature and documentary work that is normally seen at festivals, in limited theatrical release or outside the U.S. David Heuring, Variety, 3 Mar. 2024 The lawsuit cast a spotlight on a phenomenon that has been quietly shaking up dating — a network of forums that aim to make courtship safer but have at times harmed the men being posted about and the women behind the posts. Marisa Iati, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
While onstage the actress also made sure to spotlight her Yale Drama School professor, Ron Van Lieu. Anne Branigin, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 But by and large, the folks at the Academy will be cheering a night that moved at a decent clip, ended at a reasonable hour, and featured plenty of recognizable winners while managing to spotlight some of the most beloved losers. David Sims, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Immersive installations like Mercer Labs are often more about using technology to create something visually stunning than about spotlighting specific artists, said Sarah Rothberg, an assistant arts professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Christopher Kuo, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Megan Thee Stallion spotlighted the same track on her Stories, adding a series of flames emojis. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 Earlier this year, the guild launched Pay Equity Now, a movement designed to spotlight the organization’s decades-long fight for pay equity and gender equity. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Biden sought to spotlight the necessity of a bipartisan border security bill that was tanked by Republicans on Trump's orders, and flat-out asked the Republican frontrunner to join him in supporting a congressional push for more funding and tighter restrictions. Seung Min Kim, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024 This enlightening, enthusiastic series spotlights eight new episodes: Dubai, Mumbai, Kyoto, Taipei, Washington D.C., Orlando (with a twist), Scotland and Iceland. Laura Manske, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 His first two video reviews spotlighted a Latin American restaurant and a Korean restaurant in Mesa. Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spotlight.' 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

Noun

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of spotlight was in 1904

Dictionary Entries Near spotlight

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

spotlight

1 of 2 noun
spot·​light ˈspät-ˌlīt How to pronounce spotlight (audio)
1
a
: a spot of light used to light up a particular area, person, or thing (as on a stage)
b
: public notice
2
: a light designed to direct a narrow strong beam of light on a small area

spotlight

2 of 2 verb
spotlighted or spotlit; spotlighting
1
: to light up with a spotlight
2
: to bring to public attention

More from Merriam-Webster on spotlight

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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