Examples of alight in a Sentence

Verb A group of tourists alighted from the boat. a flock of eight swans circled above, then alighted on the pond Adjective The sky was alight with stars. Enemy soldiers set the building alight.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb To then, not return to the carriage at the destination stop to check whether the passenger has been able to successfully alight, is frankly lazy at best and broadly negligent. — Gus Alexiou, Forbes, 26 June 2022 The rockets hit at random, setting buildings and at least one car alight over different city blocks. — New York Times, 17 Apr. 2022 Fighting fire with fire might sound counterintuitive, but the practice gets rid of dry vegetation that can alight easily and make for intense flames that are harder to fight. — Katie Hunt, CNN, 9 Apr. 2022 Jack Kerouac lives in pop culture memory as a writer on a perpetual road trip, a shooting star riding the highways and rails of postwar America alight with Catholic mysticism, booze, bebop and outlaw liberation. — Douglas Brinkley, WSJ, 11 Mar. 2022 Every day, social media is alight with users posting the green and yellow boxes indicating their scores. — Leah Asmelash, CNN, 1 Feb. 2022 Which is how Shuttleworth continues to alight here three times a year for monthlong stays on his properties, enabling him to remain involved, firsthand, with HBD’s efforts. — Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2022 Introduced in November, Melina is already one of the best restaurants to alight in Montgomery County in recent memory. — Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2021 The app also will alight on Comcast’s new XClass TV line of smart television sets built for streaming, which for the first time extends Comcast’s streaming-entertainment platform outside its footprint. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Oct. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The drama over Beanie Feldstein’s exit from the Broadway revival of Funny Girl has set social media alight in recent days, particularly over speculation that the producers may have been blindsided by her decision to leave. — Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 July 2022 Gunfire rang out in Conakry overnight as people barricaded streets and set tyres alight in protest over a 20% increase in the price of gasoline, a Reuters reporter and witnesses said. — Reuters, CNN, 3 June 2022 Later, 1,500 beacons were set alight across the U.K., Channel Islands, Isle of Man and in U.K. Overseas Territories. — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 2 June 2022 Protesters also attacked railway property across Bihar, settling alight coaches in at least two locations, damaging train tracks and vandalizing a station, according to officials and a railways statement. — Reuters, CNN, 16 June 2022 The site has Arizona as a alight favorite in Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals. — Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 23 May 2022 The main event will be more than enough: a chance for fans to rediscover — and fall back in love with — an album that kept them alight through some very difficult years. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 May 2022 Three Thousand Years of Longing were allowed to have their fun, setting the red carpet alight. — Douglas Greenwood, Vogue, 30 May 2022 For curious children, the thrills of wandering among the show’s blossoms and greenery include seeing these free-flying international travelers alight on an outstretched hand or emerge from a chrysalis. — New York Times, 25 Nov. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alight.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for alight

Verb

Middle English alighten "to descend, get off (of), dismount," going back to Old English alīhtan (transitive) "to lighten, relieve," (intransitive) "to descend, get off (of)," from a-, perfective prefix + līhtan "to make lighter, descend, dismount" — more at abide, light entry 6

Adjective

Middle English alyht, alight, past participle of alighten "to set on fire, kindle, shed spiritual light on," going back to Old English alīhtan "to illuminate, light up," from a-, perfective prefix + līhtan "to shed light, set on fire" — more at abide, light entry 3

Note: In Modern English reanalyzed as a- entry 1 + light entry 1, by analogy with ablaze, afire, aflame.

Learn More About alight