pilot light

noun

1

: a small permanent flame used to ignite gas at a burner

2

: an indicator light showing where a switch or circuit breaker is located or whether a motor is in operation or power is on

called also pilot lamp

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The control system for gas ovens couldn’t be equipped with a constant burning pilot light. —By Mary Stroka | The Center Square Contributor , Washington Examiner, 5 Apr. 2023

Berkeley was the pilot light of this movement. —Judson Berger, National Review, 17 Oct. 2021

The pilot light is always on. —Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2021

And then the pilot light jumped and my face caught on fire. —Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2023

Leno was working on the undercarriage of his 1907 White Steam Car on November 12, inspecting a clogged fuel line, when gasoline spilled on his face and then ignited with a pilot light used to create steam. —Aili Nahas, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2022

And then the pilot light jumped, and my face caught on fire. —Diana Dasrath, NBC News, 27 Jan. 2023

That might be a sign that the pilot light on the heater has gone out. —Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2023

The late-career run that Nas has put together since 2020 — with Hit-Boy as his pilot light — is proof that time is truly a flat circle. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Dec. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pilot light

noun

: a small permanent flame used to ignite gas at a burner