lights-out

noun

1
: a command or signal for putting out lights
2
: a prescribed bedtime for persons living under discipline

Examples of lights-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In the coming years voters will have to grapple with those changes and determine new benchmarks, both for the lights-out aces whose arms couldn’t hold up and the steady workhorses who rarely missed a start. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026 Lester was lights-out in World Series play, going 3–0 with a 1.77 ERA in six outings. Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026 Our defense has been playing lights-out all season. Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2026 The Phillies had a strong rotation, a lights-out closer, and a lineup that had a good balance of power and on-base threat. Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lights-out

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lights-out was in 1864

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Cite this Entry

“Lights-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lights-out. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.

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