How to Use pilot light in a Sentence

pilot light

noun
  • If there is no flame, the pilot light is out.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Check if the gas line valve is open and that the pilot light is on.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
  • That might be a sign that the pilot light on the heater has gone out.
    — Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2023
  • If there is a blue flame, the pilot light is working.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Except there was a pilot light.
    — Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
  • The clack-clack-clack of the pilot light led to a whoosh of flame coming to life.
    — Washington Post, 1 May 2021
  • The rarest pilot lights burn hottest when the nights bring their darkest and coldest.
    — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 14 Feb. 2024
  • Unbeknownst to him, the pilot light had gone out and the grill had filled with gas.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2025
  • The bond market is a little like the pilot light on your furnace.
    — Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 5 Oct. 2023
  • The pilot light is a small flame that ignites the burner to heat the water in the tank.
    — Katie Cloyd, Martha Stewart, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The first common reason could be because of your pilot light.
    — Dallas News, 26 Jan. 2021
  • Your pilot light is located at the bottom of your gas water heater tank.
    — Dallas News, 26 Jan. 2021
  • To locate the pilot light, look at the bottom of the water heater below the gas line valve.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The pilot light is what ignites the burner and starts the water heating process.
    — Dallas News, 26 Jan. 2021
  • The wind kept blowing out the pilot light at one concession stand, for instance.
    — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 28 Sep. 2020
  • All the families who tend that pilot light with love and tenacity.
    — Susanna Schrobsdorff, Time, 10 Oct. 2021
  • The control system for gas ovens couldn’t be equipped with a constant burning pilot light.
    — By Mary Stroka | The Center Square Contributor , Washington Examiner, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Finally, an acetylene torch was needed to light the pilot light.
    — Larry Printz, Ars Technica, 4 Oct. 2023
  • Switch the pilot light and the gas valve off and wait for the fireplace to cool down completely before cleaning.
    — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2021
  • Gas water heaters often fail due to pilot light, gas supply, or burner issues.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The pilot light and gas line can also impact the temperature of the water.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Called flaring, the technique involves burning natural gas that leaks from wells—much as a stove’s pilot light burns gas.
    — Eric Niiler, WSJ, 29 Sep. 2022
  • Open the access panel and search the burner chamber using a flashlight to locate the pilot light tube.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The stretch of late winter that will inevitably lead to spring seemed more manageable somehow, like the pilot light has been reignited in my soul.
    — New York Times, 19 Feb. 2020
  • Please explain what keeps your pilot light going on the inside to further growth, commitment and your purpose?
    — Rod Berger, Forbes, 22 June 2022
  • Now, the violence in Ukraine seems to have revealed a pilot light in millions of people of all faiths worldwide.
    — Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Mar. 2022
  • All that’s required is a tiny spark—from a pilot light, or someone turning on a burner on a stove, even a thermostat switching on.
    — Nathaniel Penn, Popular Mechanics, 3 June 2019
  • The hot stove market, with 136 free agents still unemployed, barely has the flicker of a pilot light.
    — Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2018
  • This was the only gun in our recent test with an on/off pilot light, which is important for safety and saving energy.
    — Roy Berendson, Popular Mechanics, 18 Mar. 2020
  • However, this also means that if there is a problem with the pilot light, the water heater cannot function correctly.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026

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

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