sidelight

noun

side·​light ˈsīd-ˌlīt How to pronounce sidelight (audio)
1
a
: light coming or produced from the side
b
: incidental light or information
2
: the red light on the port bow or the green light on the starboard bow carried by ships underway at night

Examples of sidelight in a Sentence

The book includes some amusing sidelights about his childhood.
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.
French doors to the deck have large sidelights that let in abundant natural light. James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 9 Mar. 2025 There’s a terrible host, and great movies like Life of Pi, Zero Dark Thirty, Amour, and Beasts of the Southern Wild are beaten out by Argo, a movie about a trivial sidelight to a geopolitical tragedy abetted by the United States for decades. Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025 In the end, that was a sidelight given how little the A’s did on offense in what was a bullpen game by the Angels, who improved to 33-46. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 26 June 2024 Swift and Kelce have been great for the game, a fun sidelight to the season. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 5 Feb. 2024 See All Example Sentences for sidelight

Word History

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sidelight was in 1610

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sidelight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sidelight. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

sidelight

noun
side·​light -ˌlīt How to pronounce sidelight (audio)
1
: light from the side
2
: incidental or extra information
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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