1
a
: a stage lighting instrument producing illumination by means of an oxyhydrogen flame directed on a cylinder of lime and usually equipped with a lens to concentrate the light in a beam
b
: the white light produced by such an instrument
c
British
: spotlight
2
: the center of public attention
Examples of limelight in a Sentence
Noun
an actress who discovered that the limelight was not such a glowing experience when her privacy was invaded
Recent Examples on the Web
Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2025
Ignored and disrespected, Bernadette decides to steal her husband’s limelight, helped by a makeover by Karl Lagerfeld.
—Ito Bindery, Air Mail, 19 Apr. 2025
The reclusive actor, who retreated from Hollywood's limelight in recent years, publicly battled the disease for much of the past decade, permanently losing his voice to a tracheotomy, but continuing to act and write.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
The lawyers who constrained him, the generals who restrained him, the reporters who questioned him, the understudy who threatened him—the assorted producers and directors and designers and actors who had their own roles to play in the show—each, Trump fumed, dimmed his limelight.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for limelight
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Noun
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who has stayed largely out of the political limelight since leaving office, is set to deliver remarks on Wednesday in San Francisco as the Trump administration celebrates its accomplishments of its first 100 days.
—Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2025
Ignored and disrespected, Bernadette decides to steal her husband’s limelight, helped by a makeover by Karl Lagerfeld.
—Ito Bindery, Air Mail, 19 Apr. 2025
The reclusive actor, who retreated from Hollywood's limelight in recent years, publicly battled the disease for much of the past decade, permanently losing his voice to a tracheotomy, but continuing to act and write.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
The lawyers who constrained him, the generals who restrained him, the reporters who questioned him, the understudy who threatened him—the assorted producers and directors and designers and actors who had their own roles to play in the show—each, Trump fumed, dimmed his limelight.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for limelight
Cite this Entry
“Limelight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/limelight. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
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