spotlight

Pluralspotlights

Formsspotlights, spotlighting, spotlighted

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A bright, directional lamp used to light up the main point of interest on a stage.

   A single spotlight lit the actor while the rest of the stage went dark.

   The crew tested each spotlight before the curtain rose.

   Similarspot

   Note

   A plain compound of spot and light: a lamp whose beam falls on one spot instead of washing over a whole stage. The word's other meanings grow outward from this one. The beam's footprint becomes the circle of light, and that circle becomes the figurative center of attention. The verb follows the same path, from lighting a performer to drawing notice to an issue.

2. 2
   nounfiguratively

   The center of public attention; the most prominent or important focus at a given moment.

   The scandal put the mayor squarely in the spotlight for weeks.

   He shies away from the spotlight, preferring to work behind the scenes.

   Similarlimelight

   Oppositeobscurity

3. 3
   verbfigurativelytransitive

   To bring something to public notice; to make it the focus of attention.

   The report spotlights the dangers of rising sea levels.

   Organizers hope to spotlight youth voices during the festival.

   Similarhighlight, showcase, feature, emphasize, underline

   Oppositedownplay, obscure

4. 4
   verbtransitive

   To illuminate someone or something with a bright, focused beam of light.

   Technicians spotlighted the sculpture to bring out its rough texture.

   They spotlight the main entrance each evening for the gala.

   Similarilluminate, light

   Note

   Two past forms compete here, and both are correct: spotlighted and spotlit each serve as past tense and past participle. Michael Bronski, writing in Gay Community News in 1984, has a pianist "spotlighted on an otherwise dark stage." Spotlit echoes the irregular lit of light itself, so a spotlit stage and a spotlighted stage mean exactly the same thing. Choose by rhythm, not by rule.

5. 5
   nouncountable

   The bright circle of light cast on a surface by a focused lamp.

   She paused at the edge of the spotlight, just outside its glow.

   The spotlight narrowed to a tight circle around the soloist.

   Similarbeam

6. 6
   nouncountable

   A feature or segment that presents something prominently for public attention; a showcase.

   The conference included a spotlight on emerging green technologies.

   Each newsletter ends with a spotlight celebrating a standout volunteer.

   Similarfeature, showcase, profile

7. 7
   verbtransitive

   To hunt game at night by directing a bright beam at animals, which freeze when caught in the light; a synonym of jacklight.

   The wardens caught two men spotlighting deer in the field at midnight.

   Hunters who spotlight game at night face heavy fines here.

   Similarjacklight

   Note

   A hunter's word that means the same as jacklight. The beam is turned on an animal, which freezes in the glare and becomes an easy target. Unlike the stage-lighting verb, the object here is the quarry: wardens catch men spotlighting deer, not lighting them up for display. The -ing form often names the practice itself.

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