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streetlight

noun
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street·​light | \ ˈstrēt-ˌlīt How to pronounce streetlight (audio) \

Definition of streetlight

: a light usually mounted on a pole and constituting one of a series spaced at intervals along a public street or highway

— called also streetlamp

Examples of streetlight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Thousands of streetlight cameras were supposed to be disabled this fall, the Voice of San Diego reports, but there is no software switch for doing so. — Kate Cox, Ars Technica, "San Diego’s spying streetlights stuck switched “on,” despite directive," 6 Nov. 2020 Improving early cancer detection may be the only way to really put a dent in the cancer mortality curve; however, early cancer detection is suffering from a common ailment in medicine and public health: the streetlight effect. — Joshua J. Ofman, Scientific American, "Taking Early Cancer Detection to the Next Level," 1 Nov. 2020 Essien Eduok, 42, of the 4800 block of West Superior Street, Chicago, was charged with damage to city property at about 1:45 p.m. Oct. 9 after his vehicle struck a streetlight on the 1600 block of Durham Court. — Kimberly Fornek, chicagotribune.com, "Burr Ridge police blotter: Park Forest woman charged with forging check she found," 19 Oct. 2020 The city’s Sustainability Department runs the streetlight cameras program. — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Plan would give San Diego police sole access to Smart Streetlight cameras," 4 Sep. 2020 After striking the bakery, the car went on to hit another vehicle and ram a police squad car before crashing into a streetlight and bursting into flames. — Paul Walsh, Star Tribune, "Prison for carjacker who veered onto Lake St. sidewalk hit sister, brother," 10 Sep. 2020 That fund had enough left in it to cover the cost of keeping the streetlight cameras rolling this year, a police official said. — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Plan would give San Diego police sole access to Smart Streetlight cameras," 4 Sep. 2020 Why, because toaster ovens typically use 1,200-1,400 watts, a common high-pressure sodium streetlight draws 1,000 watts, and most folks can read just fine with a lamp containing a 60-watt bulb. — New York Times, "Letters to the Editor," 28 Aug. 2020 The poles will follow the city’s standard streetlight design and be used to implement new smart cell technology in Dallas alongside the streetlights. — Sriya Reddy, Dallas News, "Why are steel poles being installed all over Dallas? Curious Texas investigates," 5 Aug. 2020

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

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First Known Use of streetlight

1819, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for streetlight

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The first known use of streetlight was in 1819

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Statistics for streetlight

Last Updated

14 Nov 2020

Cite this Entry

“Streetlight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/streetlight. Accessed 2 Dec. 2020.

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More Definitions for streetlight

streetlight

noun
How to pronounce streetlight (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of streetlight

: a light on a tall pole next to a public road

See the full definition for streetlight in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for streetlight

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