beacon 1 of 2

noun

ˈbē-kən How to pronounce beacon (audio)
Definition of beaconnext
as in light
something that provides illumination the floodlit skyscraper is one of the city's most beloved nighttime beacons

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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
That type of growth acts like a beacon to other non-energy investors, and suddenly Chi has found his companies’ funding rounds increasingly crowded. — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026 The only visible sign of it was its green eyeshine, two beacons burning with their own copper fire. — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
In its early years, it was located smack in the middle of the grounds, a beaconing festival-goers with beats, cirque performances and the all-important misters. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024 Growing underground with their luminous flowers beaconing through the soil, around 90 species of Thismia have been discovered. — Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 27 Feb. 2023 See All Example Sentences for beacon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beacon
  1. light
  2. illumine
  3. lamp
  4. illuminate
  5. lighting
  6. candle
Noun
  • The Full Moon in your sign puts your identity, desires, and personal direction under a bright light, making old compromises harder to maintain automatically.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Lovely feeling in this prewar apartment, with nice light and plenty of space — definitely pretty far out, though.
    — Nora DeLigter, Curbed, 25 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
Noun
  • Whether major design outlets beyond House Beautiful begin treating portable/cordless lamps as a default recommendation rather than a styling flourish.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Her Calla Lily sconces show her mirthful approach, also embodied in her towering egg and pear lamps.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of lamp
Verb
  • This, Rostov’s main thoroughfare, wasn’t illuminated by the familiar bright glare of its many street lamps, or by light from its windows, now blacked out, but emerged from the darkness all the more gently in a milky cloak of moonlight.
    — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The Aries Full Moon illuminates your private 12th house, bringing an old emotion, habit, memory, or attachment closer to the surface.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of illuminate
Noun
  • With dark wood and moody lighting, this is an excellent date-night spot.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The headlamps are a stark departure from previous Bentley lighting elements too.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of lighting
Noun
  • Thanks to its premium plant-wax blend and 100 percent natural-fiber wick, the best-selling candle burns cleanly and evenly for up to 150 hours.
    — Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The 6-inch light features a gold-tone frame, dangling crystal-like accents, and candle-style LEDs that deliver either a steady glow or a flickering-flame mode that mimics real candlelight for a vintage-glam look.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of candle

Browse Nearby Words

beachside
beacon
beaconed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beacon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beacon. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on beacon

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beacon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All