as in light
something that provides illumination
the floodlit skyscraper is one of the city's most beloved nighttime beacons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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Recent Examples of beacon
Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2026
Military aircraft contain emergency locator beacons that transmit automatically after a crash or after pilots eject.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
Alan Diehl, a former investigator for the Air Force Safety Center, said the Strike Eagle has an emergency locator beacon in a survival kit that can be set to activate automatically or manually.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2026
Military aircraft contain emergency locator beacons that transmit automatically after a crash or after pilots eject.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 4 Apr. 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
-
The light that falls from the left, through half-open windows, onto Vermeer’s walls, some of them bare, testifies not so much to an overcast Dutch day as to a suffusion of grace.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Clean Acne features blue LED lights to kill acne-causing bacteria while the Clean Redvolution combines the cleansing power of PMD Clean with the rejuvenating treatment of red light therapy.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
-
Candles, Christmas décor, plants, throw pillows, lamps, and more make Taylor’s Mercantile a treasure trove of gifts–for others or yourself.—
Jennifer Stewart Kornegay,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2026
-
All the decorative details, from the burl wood headboards, curved armchairs or sofas, retro tiled bathrooms and alabaster suspension lamps, thoughtfully whisk guests to another time.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Strings on folk or rock albums often exist to bolster melodies or add some easy drama; Eisenberg uses them as bursts of color, miniature sunsets briefly illuminating their melodies before sinking below the horizon.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
6 Apr. 2026
-
During their closest approach to the moon, when the Orion capsule will fly about 4,070 miles away from the moon’s surface, around 21% of the moon's far side should be illuminated and visible to the astronauts, according to Kelsey Young, the Artemis II lunar science lead.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
When insurance adjusters examined the roadway where the crashes were happening, there were no obvious hazards—like faulty lighting or an especially steep grade—that could account for this newfound profusion.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Other speakers will focus on the importance of dark skies, impacts on wildlife from light pollution, and lighting techniques to preserve the night sky.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Set the scene, light a fragrant candle, and let the spring fun begin.—
Aashna Gheewalla,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In English many words derive from ancient languages such as Latin (candle) and Greek (biology) or are borrowed from other languages (guru, cigar, karaoke).—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beacon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beacon. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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