spotlight

English

Etymology

From spot +‎ light.

Pronunciation

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

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (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.

   • 2008 March 11, The Onion, 00:05 from the start, in Anonymous Hero Donates Hospital 200 Human Kidneys‎^[1] (Comedy; Satire), via YouTube:

     Billionaires like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are known for their charitable contributions, but not all great givers crave the spotlight. Last night, a Massachusetts general hospital in Boston, an anonymous individual gave an unprecedented donation of two hundred human kidneys. This secret benefactor delivered his gift a few minutes before four a.m. this morning, as seen here in the security camera footage.

4. A showcase.

Hypernyms

• light

Derived terms

• hog the spotlight
• in the spotlight
• spotlight effect
• spotlighter
• spotlighty
• under the spotlight

Translations

a bright lamp, especially one used to illuminate the center of attention on a stage — see also spot

• Afrikaans: kollig
• 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
• Māori: 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
• Slovene: žaromet 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: rodal alumbrado m
• Swedish: slagljus n, strålkastarljus (sv) n

the center of attention; the highlight or most important part

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

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

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

  Bokmål: søkelys (no) n

• Polish: centrum uwagi n
• Portuguese: holofotes m pl, centro das atenções
• Russian: центр внима́ния m (centr vnimánija)
• Serbo-Croatian: centar pozornosti, vidjelo (sh) c
• Spanish: foco de atención m, centro atencional 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.

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

   • 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.

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

Derived terms

• unspotlighted

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)
• Māori: tūrama arotahi
• Spanish: enfocar (es)

draw attention to

• Bulgarian: обръщам внимание (obrăštam 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

• toplights, lightpost, top lights, stoplight, stop light