spotlights

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   Powerful lights that produce a narrow, bright beam, used especially in theaters or for outdoor lighting.

   Grammar: Countable noun; plural 'spotlights'. Often used with 'under' or 'in the'. Example: The spotlights lit up the stage.

   Patterns

   • under the spotlights
   • a row of spotlights

   The spotlights on the stage were so bright that the actors could hardly see the audience.

   They installed spotlights in the garden to highlight the trees.

   The band performed under colorful spotlights.

2. 2verbtransitive

   To draw special attention to something, especially in the media or in a discussion.

   Grammar: Takes an object: spotlight an issue. Third person singular: spotlights.

   Patterns

   • spotlight something
   • spotlight an issue

   The documentary spotlights the problem of plastic pollution in the oceans.

   Her new book spotlights the lives of ordinary workers during the war.

Word forms

Common combinations

under the spotlights

The singer stood under the spotlights and began to sing.

a row of spotlights

A row of spotlights lined the runway.

shine the spotlights on

The report shines the spotlights on corruption in the industry.

spotlights on the stage

The spotlights on the stage changed color with the music.

Synonyms and how they differ

floodlights

Similar but produce a wider, broader beam, often used for outdoor sports fields.

searchlights

Powerful beams used for scanning the sky or ground, often in military or rescue contexts.

Word family

spotlight noun

Singular form; a single powerful beam of light.

spotlight verb

To focus attention on something.

Commonly confused: spotlights or spot light?

Practice

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