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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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
Lindsay Good, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
Backcountry skiers typically carry safety equipment such as avalanche beacons to help find each other if they get buried in snow, and probes to dig each other out.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 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
The girl did not have a beacon, the spokesperson said.
—Lindsay Good, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
Backcountry skiers typically carry safety equipment such as avalanche beacons to help find each other if they get buried in snow, and probes to dig each other out.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 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
-
And a short time later, the teen was in the Philippines on a mortar ship bridge sending and receiving communications primarily by visual means, including signal flags and flashing lights.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Some moments are silly or soft or light.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
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These fruits are tiny stars, planets in arm’s reach, little moons reddened by desire and cunning, the sun, at each step, illumines the petals of the dogwood flowers, their bright yellow is dimmed by no leaf, on their still-bare branches the first fissure in winter opens up by magic.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
There is a desk with an Arts and Crafts-era bronze envelope holder and inkwell, and a desk lamp from Bode Aujla’s home.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
19 Feb. 2026
-
For pleated lamp shades, gently brush in the direction of the pleats to avoid damage.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Otherwise, Veloso relied on the sun, candlelight and fire to illuminate his shots.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Finally, the sun dipped below the horizon and illuminated the sparse clouds in a smoldering fire of mauve, pink and purple.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Several factors contribute to this, including inadequate lighting, varying indoor temperatures, and plants outgrowing their pots.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Everyone looks better inside them—white cubes and fluorescent lighting tend to make people resemble the living dead.—
Jocelyn Silver,
Vogue,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And a small memorial on the sidewalk includes a vase of flowers, a candle, and a Teddy Bear with a heart nose.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Can the dunkers rediscover the creativity that compelled Blake Griffin to jump over a car, Gerald Green to blow out a cupcake candle on the rim, Dwight Howard to put on a cape and Vince Carter to stick his whole arm in the hoop?—
Greg Beacham,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beacon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beacon. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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