searchlight meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

searchlight

noun

UK /ˈsɜːtʃˌlaɪt/

Etymology From search + light. Compare West Frisian sykljocht (“searchlight”), Dutch zoeklicht (“searchlight”), Danish søgelys (“searchlight”), Swedish sökarljus (“searchlight”).

A light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction, generally for military use.

The light from the above source.

Hypernyms: light

searchlight

verb

Etymology From search + light. Compare West Frisian sykljocht (“searchlight”), Dutch zoeklicht (“searchlight”), Danish søgelys (“searchlight”), Swedish sökarljus (“searchlight”).

To scan or sweep across like a searchlight.

A dozen air corps of fireflies searchlighted the spot for an instant.1937, L. Ron Hubbard, All Frontiers Are Jealous:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.