alight 1 of 2

Definition of alightnext

alight

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to perch
to come to rest after descending from the air a flock of eight swans circled above, then alighted on the pond

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to descend
to come down from something (as a vehicle) as she alighted from the train, she momentarily lost her footing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of alight
Adjective
The Internet was set alight with Brooklyn's innocent public display of affection weeks after the budding chef aired his family drama in a manifesto posted online. Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 16 Feb. 2026 No brow aglow like Narekatsi or Kuchak, Cross the world, no height alight like Ararat. Simon Maghakyan, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
Just as the sun prepared to sink beyond the escarpments, its rays struck every piece of the fractured glass resting on top of the window frames, alighting all of them at once, as if they were shot with electricity. New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026 Rebecca ends with the housekeeper (also obsessed with the dead Rebecca) setting the house alight. Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for alight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alight
Adjective
  • The researchers argue that the daily dataset has diagnostic potential, serving as an early warning system for economic cycles, a humanitarian planning tool, and a means of tracking ecological consequences as illuminated nights continue to change at an accelerating pace.
    Bree Shirvell, Hartford Courant, 12 May 2026
  • This illuminated design feature is reminiscent of the bar on some older Google devices like the Pixel C tablet and Chromebook Pixel.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 12 May 2026
Adjective
  • Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?
    Victoria Edel, People.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Hence why there was no better setting to reveal the collection than La Pausa, her hillside villa perched above the Mediterranean.
    Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 10 May 2026
  • Five stories would be apartments perched atop a two-story parking structure, new plans show.
    George Avalos, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
Verb
  • Reporters soon descended, leading to subsequent lore of a sort of revolt, with students, particularly varsity athletes, chasing reporters away, even — as legend has it — locking some in the music room.
    Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
  • The event quickly descended into chaos as the rounds of shots sent thousands scrambling for cover, including fans, top city and state officials and state lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
Adjective
  • Plants must endure and thrive through soft morning light and blazing summer afternoons, through shade one moment and full sun the next.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 4 May 2026
  • The plants are hardy in the South in USDA Zones 3-9, and the flowers of many blazing star species linger for a long time during the blooming season.
    Patricia S York, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Hawks have a good chance of landing a top-four pick in what’s regarded as a stacked group of prospects.
    Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 10 May 2026
  • That game, a 34-31 Wildcats win in the first year of the Shedeur Sanders era, was the first impression Coleman left on the state of Colorado before the Broncos landed on him two years later.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
Verb
  • Chiles, though, did rebound with a clean beam and dismount for a 9.9500 score to get the Bruins back in it.
    Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Sometimes the world is spinning too fast to dismount.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • One young man, his shirt off and loosely draped around his neck along with a Santa Muerte necklace, sports tattoos of a Kalashnikov rifle and a flaming skull, regarding the camera with bedroom eyes.
    Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Alex Tafoya was a much easier interview, even taking off his Ghost Rider flaming skull headpiece to talk.
    Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Alight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alight. Accessed 14 May. 2026.

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