searchlight

noun

search·​light ˈsərch-ˌlīt How to pronounce searchlight (audio)
: an apparatus for projecting a powerful beam of light
also : a beam of light projected by it

Examples of searchlight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As squad cars lined the streets for several blocks in every direction, a police helicopter circled the area, beaming a searchlight. Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025 The episode's final shot returns us to the dining room, which is now illuminated by the helicopter's searchlight. Matt Cabral, EW.com, 26 May 2025 Stone gives a typically ostentatious performance — all tics, cartoonish gestures, searchlight eyes — without piquant moments of silence or reflection. Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024 In the early days of aviation, pilots would navigate using road maps in daylight and follow bonfires or searchlights after dark. IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2021 See All Example Sentences for searchlight

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of searchlight was in 1883

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Searchlight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/searchlight. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

searchlight

noun
search·​light ˈsərch-ˌlīt How to pronounce searchlight (audio)
: a device for casting a beam of light
also : a beam of light cast by it

More from Merriam-Webster on searchlight

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