the spotlight
noun
: public attention or notice
a baseball star who hates the spotlight
They're always in the spotlight.
School violence is once again under the media spotlight.
The news article turned/put the spotlight on the city's financial problems.
Examples of the spotlight in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Both sides agree that Iowa, long overlooked in national politics, is suddenly back in the spotlight.
—
Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025
Just days after announcing her engagement to Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift ceded some of the spotlight to a fellow NFL WAG celebrating a milestone birthday.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
With Mercury hyper-focusing on your fifth house of love, passion and self-expression, your creative projects and romantic affairs are under the spotlight.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The band had recently lost frontman Freddie Mercury, and while the group was still active in different ways, May stepped into the spotlight on his own with a full-length that mixed personal reflection with arena-ready rock, just as Queen had taken to the top of the charts.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the spotlight
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025
Just days after announcing her engagement to Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift ceded some of the spotlight to a fellow NFL WAG celebrating a milestone birthday.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
With Mercury hyper-focusing on your fifth house of love, passion and self-expression, your creative projects and romantic affairs are under the spotlight.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The band had recently lost frontman Freddie Mercury, and while the group was still active in different ways, May stepped into the spotlight on his own with a full-length that mixed personal reflection with arena-ready rock, just as Queen had taken to the top of the charts.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the spotlight
Cite this Entry
“The spotlight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20spotlight. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share