spotlight

English

Etymology

From spot +‎ light.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈspɒtˌlaɪt/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈspɑtˌlaɪt/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈspɔtˌlɑɪt/
• Hyphenation: spot‧light

Noun

spotlight (plural spotlights)

1. A bright, directional light or lamp, especially one used to illuminate the focus or center of attention on a stage.
2. (by extension) The circle of light shed by a spotlight.
3. (figurative) The center of attention; the highlight or most important part.

   Some people enjoy the spotlight.

Hypernyms

• light

Derived terms

• in the spotlight
• spotlight effect

 

Translations

a bright lamp, especially one used to illuminate the center of attention on a stage

• Bulgarian: проже́ктор m (prožéktor)
• Catalan: focus (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 聚光燈／聚光灯 (zh) (jùguāngdēng)

• Dutch: spotlight (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: spoto (eo), planklumo, lumĵetilo
• Finnish: valonheitin (fi), kohdevalo
• French: projecteur (fr) m
• German: Scheinwerfer (de) m
• Hebrew: זְרַקּוֹר (he) m (zraqór)
• Hungarian: reflektor (hu)
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} ljóskastari (is)
• Italian: riflettore (it) m
• Manx: spohthoilshey m
• Maori: tīwhiri
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: søkelys (no) n

• Persian: نورافکن (fa) (nurâfkan), پروژکتور (fa) (prožektor)
• Polish: reflektor (pl) m, jupiter (pl) m
• Portuguese: refletor (pt) m, holofote (pt) m
• Russian: проже́ктор (ru) m (prožéktor)
• Scottish Gaelic: solas mòr m
• Spanish: foco (es) m, proyector (es) m
• Swedish: strålkastare (sv) c, spotlight (sv) c
• Thai: สบอตไลท์
• Turkish: spot lambası

the circle of light shed by a spotlight

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 聚光 (zh) (jùguāng)

• Finnish: valokeila (fi)
• German: Scheinwerferlicht (de) n, Schlaglicht (de) n
• Hungarian: reflektorfény (hu)
• Manx: spohthoilshey m
• Portuguese: holofote (pt) m
• Scottish Gaelic: solas mòr m
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: slagljus n, strålkastarljus (sv) n

the center of attention; the highlight or most important part

• Arabic: أَضْوَاء pl (ʔaḍwāʔ)
• Bulgarian: център на внимание m (centǎr na vnimanie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 焦點／焦点 (zh) (jiāodiǎn), 重點／重点 (zh) (zhòngdiǎn)

• Finnish: huomion keskipiste
• Japanese: スポットライト (supottoraito)
• Macedonian: це́нтар на внима́ние m (céntar na vnimánie)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: søkelys (no) n

• Polish: centrum uwagi n
• Portuguese: holofotes m pl
• Russian: центр внима́ния m (centr vnimánija)
• Serbo-Croatian: centar pozornosti, vidjelo (sh) c
• Spanish: foco de atención m
• Swedish: rampljus (sv) n, strålkastarljus (sv) n

Verb

spotlight (third-person singular simple present spotlights, present participle spotlighting, simple past and past participle spotlighted or spotlit)

1. (transitive) To illuminate with a spotlight.
   • 1984 April 14, Michael Bronski, “Sophistication and Verve”, in Gay Community News, page 18:

     The first act of Me & Julie presents Mr. Short in a black tie at his piano, beneath a golden arched proscenium, spotlighted on an otherwise dark stage.

   We spotlight the star, but the supporting cast has all the great lines in this scene.

2. (transitive, figurative) To draw attention to.

   The news series served to spotlight corruption.

3. Synonym of jacklight (“to use a spotlight in hunting animals”)

Hypernyms

• light

Translations

illuminate with a spotlight

• Bulgarian: осветявам (bg) (osvetjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: lumĵeti, spoti
• Finnish: valaista (fi)
• Macedonian: о́светли (ósvetli)
• Spanish: enfocar (es)

draw attention to

• Bulgarian: обръщам внимание (obrǎštam vnimanie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: kiinnittää huomiota
• Macedonian: свр́ти внима́ние (svŕti vnimánie)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

References

• spotlight on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• lightpost, stop light, stoplight, toplights