BEACON Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

beacon 1 of 2

noun

ˈbē-kən

Definition of beacon

as in light

something that provides illumination the floodlit skyscraper is one of the city's most beloved nighttime beacons

Synonyms & Similar Words

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beacon

2 of 2

verb

as in to illumine

to supply with light a lone lighthouse beacons the entrance to the island's only harbor

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 beacon

Noun

Guidance includes carrying ample water and supplies, checking road and weather conditions in advance and taking an alternative means of communication, such as a satellite communicator or emergency beacon. — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026 Final site restoration and complete pedestrian beacon activation will finish in spring 2027. — Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register, 25 Aug. 2026

Verb

Growing underground with their luminous flowers beaconing through the soil, around 90 species of Thismia have been discovered. — Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 27 Feb. 2023 In the meantime, January will beacon you into hermit mode, especially at the top of the month due to the Cancer full moon on Friday, January 6. — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Dec. 2022 See All Example Sentences for beacon

Recent Examples of Synonyms for beacon

Noun

In a corner of the park designed for 2 to 5-year-olds, colorful faux-houses named after units of electricity (volts, ohms, watts and amps) feature fake solar panels and buttons which activate sound effects and control small lights.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
The scientists gave participants blind taste tests, then scanned their brains during tastings that involved cues such as flashes of light or pictures of a Coke or Pepsi can.

— Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of light

Verb

Fantastic, illumined by periodic excursions into surrealism, as when the crew of a mysterious UFO boards a transpacific Kahuna Airlines jet midflight.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Geraldine walked over to Felix and Jane’s for fish soup, through long autumn shadows in the park, haze rising like smoke from the grass, illumined by the low sun.

— Tessa Hadley, New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2026

Definition of illumine

Verb

Each morning at the crack of dawn, in one of the great Instagram moments of our time, 165 enormous balloons begin to swell in Cappadocia's half-light, their burners briefly illuminating the valley floor.

— Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
At night, few lights are turned on inside these beautiful slabs; of the twelve units in each building, only one or two are illuminated, meaning that most people with residences there live elsewhere in the city.

— Jonathan Flint, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of illuminate

Noun

At the beginning of the twentieth century, oil markets were threatened by the transition away from kerosene and gas lighting towards electric light.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
On the city’s end, officials promised improved lighting in that area and also positioned surveillance cameras at the intersection of 20th and L Streets.

— Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of lighting

Noun

Her representatives asked her fans to light a candle in her honor and to donate to her charity, Gloria’s Foundation.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2026
Her representatives asked her fans to light a candle in her honor and for donations to be made to her charity, Gloria’s Foundation.

— Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of candle

Browse Nearby Words

beachside

beacon

beaconed

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Beacon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beacon. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of beacon

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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