flashlight

noun

flash·​light ˈflash-ˌlīt 

1

: a small battery-operated portable electric light

2

a

: a sudden bright artificial light used in taking photographic pictures

b

: a photograph taken by such a light

Examples of flashlight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

They were illuminated as dull streaks of red, as the group’s flashlights were covered with red tape to reduce the light. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Footage shared to Facebook showed the crew scooping dirt out of the sett and using flashlights to see into the underground space before Cello’s white furry face — covered in dirt — emerged. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026

So, bareheaded, Comella poked around in these tiny holes, using his flashlight to examine the various documents floating around for FDNY insignia. — Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Compared with the stellar lighthouse of Deneb, Vega and Altair are, comparatively speaking, penlight flashlights. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for flashlight

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

flashlight

noun

flash·​light ˈflash-ˌlīt 

: a small battery-operated portable electric light