Belisha beacon

/bəˈliːʃə ˈbiːkən/

noun

A tall black and white pole topped by a flashing orange globe, placed on either side of the road at zebra crossings; mostly now replaced by more sophisticated arrangements.

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Meanings

nounBelisha beacon (plural Belisha beacons)

plural Belisha beacons

  1. IrelandUKA tall black and white pole topped by a flashing orange globe, placed on either side of the road at zebra crossings; mostly now replaced by more sophisticated arrangements.

    A police constable concealed in a doorway in City Road, Finsbury, saw a youth of seventeen, who had two others with him, climb a Belisha beacon and break the globe with his fist. It was the hundredth beacon globe to be broken in Finsbury since November.

    1935 January 10, “Cyclists air their grievances on road safety”, in The Guardian

Origin

Named after Leslie Hore-Belisha, the Minister of Transport who introduced them in 1934.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 黃波燈 /黄波灯
  • 黃波燈 /黄波灯 (wong⁴ bo¹ dang¹)pole
Chinese Mandarin 黃波燈 /黄波灯
  • 黃波燈 /黄波灯 (huángbōdēng)pole
Finnish suojatiepaalu
  • suojatiepaalupole
French balise Belisha
  • balise Belishapole
Polish migoczące żółte światło
  • migoczące żółte światłopole
Cite this entry
APA

Belisha beacon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Belisha%20beacon

MLA

“Belisha beacon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Belisha%20beacon. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Belisha beacon,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Belisha%20beacon.

Source: Belisha beacon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.