floodlight

noun flood·light \ ˈfləd-ˌlīt \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

Definition of floodlight

1 a : artificial illumination in a broad beam

b : a source of such illumination

2 : a lighting unit for projecting a broad beam of light

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Examples of floodlight in a Sentence

The yard was lit by floodlights.

Recent Examples of floodlight from the Web

Ever eager to command the spotlight, even at 3 a.m. ET, Trump strode out to the blue-and-white liveried government jet that carried the men home and was picked out of the night sky with floodlights and parked in front of a huge American flag.

— stephen collinson, CNN, "History in the making as Trump welcomes prisoners home," 10 May 2018
With Liverpool set to feature in their first Champions League semi-final in 10 years, the Anfield faithful once again have exciting, nail-biting nights under the floodlights to look forward to.

— SI.com, "Back From the Brink: How Liverpool Recovered From the Cusp of Mid-Table Mediocrity Under Roy Hodgson," 24 Apr. 2018
The night vision is grayscale and can discern whether it’s sunlight peeking through or a floodlight.

— florence ion, The Verge, "Nest Hello and Yale lock review: a smart entrance," 3 May 2018
Gormley’s Cabinteely side was leading 1–0 against Athlone Town in the second half on Saturday when the floodlights at the park went out.

— dan gartland, SI.com, "Fed-Up Irish Soccer Manager Repeatedly Insists ‘I Am Not an Electrician’," 30 Apr. 2018
Berenice Abbott pictured an electrified Manhattan at night from above, while Samuel H. Gottscho looked up at Rockefeller Center from street level, bathing the former RCA Building in floodlights and framing it, phallus-like, in the center.

— richard b. woodward, WSJ, "‘Image Building: How Photography Transforms Architecture’ Review," 26 Mar. 2018
Additional police and security were being brought in, and more portable floodlights also were arriving at the ballpark to be used in parking lots and around the stadium’s exterior.

— Washington Post, "Mayor: Puerto Rico blackout won’t affect Indians-Twins game," 18 Apr. 2018
Song exited at the third extra hole, but after floodlights were used to illuminate the green for a fourth hole, darkness prevailed to set the stage for a Monday shootout at Mission Hills, California.

— CNN, "Pernilla Lindberg wins first title at 250th attempt ... and it's a major," 2 Apr. 2018
Brittany Lincicome beat darkness — with help from floodlights Sunday on the Ocean Club's 18th green — to win the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for the second straight year.

— USA TODAY, "Brittany Lincicome wins LPGA opener in Bahamas _ again," 28 Jan. 2018

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

First Known Use of floodlight

1922

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

floodlight

verb

Definition of floodlight

-lit play \ˈfləd-ˌlit\ also floodlighted; floodlighting

transitive verb

: to illuminate by means of one or more floodlights

Recent Examples of floodlight from the Web

Colonel Beara was specifically accused of overseeing the beheading of up to 100 men and boys, of supervising the digging of mass graves, and of floodlighting killing zones so that firing squads could conduct executions at night.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "Ljubisa Beara, Who Oversaw Massacre at Srebrenica, Dies at 77," 10 Feb. 2017