searchlight

search·light
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UK/ˈsɜːtʃˌlaɪt/

noun

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

Less commonScrabble 20
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Meanings

searchlight1

nounsearchlight (plural searchlights)

plural searchlights

  1. A light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction, generally for military use.
  2. The light from the above source.

    We didn’t know where Reserve Gully was as the shore was all in darkness except for a searchlight from a warship which played occasionally on top of Walker’s Ridge.

    1933, Frank Clune, Try Anything Once, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 113
verbsearchlight (third-person singular simple present searchlights, present participle searchlighting, simple past and past participle searchlighted or searchlit)

present singular third person searchlights · participle present searchlighting · participle past searchlighted · past searchlighted · participle past searchlit · past searchlit

  1. transitiveTo 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

Searchlight2

proper noun
  1. A census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States.

Synonyms & antonyms

Broader
light

Origin

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans soeklig
  • soekliga light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
Bulgarian прожектор
  • прожектор (prožektor)a light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
Chinese Mandarin 探照燈 /探照灯, 探照光束
  • 探照燈 /探照灯 (tànzhàodēng)a light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • 探照光束 (tànzhào guāngshù)the light from the above source
Dutch zoeklicht
  • zoeklichta light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
Finnish valonheitin, hakuvalo
  • valonheitina light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • hakuvaloa light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • valokeilathe light from the above source
French projecteur, faisceau
  • projecteura light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • faisceauthe light from the above source
German Suchscheinwerfer
  • Suchscheinwerfera light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
Hungarian fényszóró, keresőlámpa
  • fényszóróa light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • keresőlámpaa light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • reflektora light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • fénysugárthe light from the above source
  • fénykévethe light from the above source
Italian proiettore da ricerca
  • proiettore da ricercaa light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
Norwegian Bokmål søkelys, søkelys
  • søkelysa light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • søkelysthe light from the above source
Polish reflektor, reflektor
  • reflektora light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • reflektorthe light from the above source
Portuguese holofote
  • holofotea light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
Russian проже́ктор
  • проже́ктор (prožéktor)a light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
Spanish proyector de búsqueda
  • proyector de búsquedaa light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
Swedish sökljus, sökarljus
  • sökljusa light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • sökarljusa light source that projects a bright beam of light in any direction
  • sökljusthe light from the above source
  • sökarljusthe light from the above source
Cite this entry
APA

searchlight. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/searchlight

MLA

“searchlight.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/searchlight. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “searchlight,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/searchlight.

Source: searchlight on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.