sidelight

noun side·light \ ˈsīd-ˌlīt \

Definition of sidelight

1 a :light coming or produced from the side

b :incidental light or information

2 :the red light on the port bow or the green light on the starboard bow carried by ships under way at night

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Examples of sidelight in a Sentence

The book includes some amusing sidelights about his childhood.

Recent Examples of sidelight from the Web

As a sidelight to the game, Sue Bird will continue her pursuit of Ticha Penicheiro for the WNBA's all-time lead in assists.

— john altavilla, courant.com, "Sun Have Been Hot With New Role For Alex Bentley," 7 Aug. 2017
Modern touches include the pivoting front door with glass sidelights.

— lauren beale, latimes.com, "Tarzana new build gives a contemporary turn to the farmhouse style," 26 May 2017
That historical sidelight set the stage for Donaldina Cameron’s life work.

— judy peterson, The Mercury News, "Ming Quong: Once an orphanage now modern treatment refuge," 25 May 2017
Wide sidelights bracket the front door of the three-story villa.

— marcelle sussman fischler, New York Times, "House Hunting in . . . Auckland, New Zealand," 11 Jan. 2017
As a sidelight, Dr. Sauvage and Dr. Stoddart used their techniques to create molecules that twisted in complicated knots.

— kenneth chang and sewell chan, New York Times, "Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded," 5 Oct. 2016
Environmental regulations are hardly the only partisan sidelight in the debate over how to respond to the Zika virus.

— david m. herszenhorn, New York Times, "Obama Chides Congress Over Zika Funding MAY 23, 2016," 24 May 2016
An interesting historical sidelight: Selden's father, Henry, was Abraham Lincoln's first choice to be his vice presidential running mate during the 1864 election.

— tony long, WIRED, "Nov. 5, 1895: First U.S. Automaker Gets Off to Slow Start," 5 Nov. 2007

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

First Known Use of sidelight

1610

SIDELIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

sidelight

noun

Definition of sidelight for English Language Learners

: a piece of information that is in addition to the main information

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sidelight

Definition of sidelight

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SIDELIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

sidelight

Definition of sidelight for English Language Learners

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