as in lamps
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 illumines
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 beacons
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2025
After landing, bright orange paint, infrared beacons, GPS, and flashing lights help rescue teams locate the site quickly.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2025
Residents work in its cafes and bakeries that have become community beacons.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
To improve safety, the transportation division has lengthened no passing zones and added flashing yellow beacons to no passing zones signs, Ronaldson said.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
Just as a compass needle reveals Earth’s magnetic field, Punctum may be the first of many cosmic beacons pointing to new ways of mapping the invisible forces that shape galaxies.
—New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2025
Stop companies from tracking you with email aliases The average e-commerce site uses between 15 and 30 third-party scripts, analytics trackers, ad pixels and behavioral beacons, according to a study.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
These towns were beacons of Black excellence, boasting banks, newspapers, schools, and railroads.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
The pod awaiting pickup communicates with the drone via a set of radio frequency beacons which assists the aircraft in triangulating the pod's position.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
Stars are the glittering beacons of the universe — massive nuclear furnaces that light up the night sky and shape the very fabric of galaxies.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2025
After landing, bright orange paint, infrared beacons, GPS, and flashing lights help rescue teams locate the site quickly.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2025
Residents work in its cafes and bakeries that have become community beacons.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
To improve safety, the transportation division has lengthened no passing zones and added flashing yellow beacons to no passing zones signs, Ronaldson said.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
Just as a compass needle reveals Earth’s magnetic field, Punctum may be the first of many cosmic beacons pointing to new ways of mapping the invisible forces that shape galaxies.
—New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2025
Stop companies from tracking you with email aliases The average e-commerce site uses between 15 and 30 third-party scripts, analytics trackers, ad pixels and behavioral beacons, according to a study.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
These towns were beacons of Black excellence, boasting banks, newspapers, schools, and railroads.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
The pod awaiting pickup communicates with the drone via a set of radio frequency beacons which assists the aircraft in triangulating the pod's position.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beacons
Noun
-
Americans were keen to give up their gas and kerosene lamps for something that promised to be cleaner and safer.—
Ernest Freeberg,
The Conversation,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Perfectly Matching Furniture While there is a time and place for a pair of nightstands or set of bedside lamps, there is more than one way to create a cohesive space.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Previously, federal workers have been temporarily furloughed until lawmakers reached deals to turn the government’s lights back on − with Congress later voting to ensure the employees are paid during their time away.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The venue fills with thousands of red and blue lights.—
Ana González Vilá,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Royal Butter Gloss in Praline is every bit as delectable as the dessert for which it's named, and The Queen's Royal Blush Duo Palette features the most stunning ruby shade that instantly illuminates all skin tones.—
Karina Hoshikawa,
Refinery29,
22 Sep. 2025
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But twilight illuminates the sky to some extent whenever the sun's upper rim is less than 18-degrees below the horizon.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Brumbelow has found that cars with headlights rated highly by IIHS for visibility—which includes many but not all LED headlights—have 19% fewer nighttime crashes compared to cars with poor headlight visibility.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beacons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beacons. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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