Meaning & use
lighthouse
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Meaning
nouncountable
a tall tower with a powerful light at the top that guides or warns ships near dangerous coasts
Grammar: Countable: one lighthouse, two lighthouses.
Patterns
- a lighthouse on something
- the lighthouse keeper
The lighthouse on the cliff warned ships away from the rocks.
We visited an old lighthouse during our trip to the coast.
At night, the lighthouse beam could be seen for miles.
Word forms
| plural | lighthouses |
|---|
Common combinations
- lighthouse keeper
- The lighthouse keeper lived alone on the island for years.
- lighthouse beam
- The lighthouse beam swept across the dark water.
- lighthouse on the coast
- There is a famous lighthouse on the coast of Maine.
Synonyms and how they differ
- beacon
- A beacon can be any light used as a signal, not necessarily a tower; a lighthouse is a specific building.
Word family
Commonly confused: lighthouse or light house?
lighthouse vs light house
Written as two words, 'light house' could mean a house that is not heavy; the one-word 'lighthouse' is the tower.
Practice
What is the main purpose of a lighthouse?
Choose one answer.
A lighthouse is built to guide or warn ships, especially near dangerous coastlines, using a powerful light. The other options describe other functions that a lighthouse might have, but they are not its main purpose.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lighthouse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.