Adjacent Words

spotlight definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a focus of public attention; "he enjoyed being in the limelight"; "when Congress investigates it brings the full glare of publicity to the agency" [syn: limelight, spotlight, glare, public eye]
2: a lamp that produces a strong beam of light to illuminate a restricted area; used to focus attention of a stage performer [syn: spotlight, spot] v
1: move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent; "The introduction highlighted the speaker's distinguished career in linguistics" [syn: foreground, highlight, spotlight, play up] [ant: background, downplay, play down]
2: illuminate with a spotlight, as in the theater

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Date: 1904 1. a. a projected spot of light used to illuminate brilliantly a person, object, or group on a stage b. conspicuous public notice <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 II. transitive verb (-lighted or -lit; -lighting) Date: 1922 1. to illuminate with a spotlight 2. to direct attention to ; highlight

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a beam of light directed on a small area, esp. on a particular part of a theatre stage or of the road in front of a vehicle. 2 a lamp projecting this. 3 full attention or publicity. --v.tr. (past and past part. -lighted or -lit) 1 direct a spotlight on. 2 make conspicuous, draw attention to.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spotlight Spot"light`, n. The projected spot or circle of light used to illuminate brilliantly a single person or object or group on the stage; leaving the rest of the stage more or less unilluminated; hence, conspicuous public notice. [Cant or Colloq.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(spotlights, spotlighting, spotlighted) 1. A spotlight is a powerful light, for example in a theatre, which can be directed so that it lights up a small area. N-COUNT 2. If something spotlights a particular problem or situation, it makes people notice it and think about it. ...a new book spotlighting female entrepreneurs. = highlight VERB: V n 3. Someone or something that is in the spotlight is getting a great deal of public attention. Webb is back in the spotlight. PHRASE: v-link PHR

Moby Thesaurus

PR, accent, accentuate, affect, arc, arc light, ballyhoo, beacon, belabor, betoken, blurb, brandish, breathe, bright light, brighten, brighten up, bring forth, bring forward, bring into view, bring out, bring to notice, celebrity, color filter, common knowledge, cry, currency, dangle, daylight, demonstrate, develop, dimmer, disclose, display, divulge, dramatize, dwell on, eclat, embody, emphasize, enact, enlighten, evidence, evince, exhibit, expose to view, exposure, express, fame, famousness, feature, flaunt, floats, flood, flood with light, floodlight, flourish, focus of attention, footlights, foots, gelatin, give emphasis to, give sign, give token, glare, harp on, highlight, hoopla, hue and cry, illume, illuminate, illumine, incarnate, indicate, irradiate, italicize, klieg light, light, light plot, light up, lighten, lights, limelight, luminate, make clear, make plain, manifest, marquee, materialize, maximum dissemination, mean, medium, notoriety, overaccentuate, overemphasize, overshine, overstress, parade, perform, place emphasis on, plug, point up, present, press notice, produce, public eye, public knowledge, public relations, public report, publicity, publicity story, publicness, puff, punctuate, reclame, relume, relumine, report, represent, reveal, roll out, rub in, searchlight, set forth, shed light upon, shine upon, show, show forth, spot, star, stress, throw light upon, token, trot out, underline, underscore, unfold, wave, write-up