as in limelight
the center of public attention
reality show contestants who become addicted to the spotlight
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to focus
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spotlight
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2026
The big glamorous theater, red seats, a spotlight.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026
Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026
However, this same energy could instead spotlight a home, domestic or real estate matter, instead.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spotlight
Noun
The scandal caused a searing public spotlight to be cast on UConn Health’s financial management practices.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2026
The big glamorous theater, red seats, a spotlight.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026
Verb
On Wednesday the association, which has been supporting talents of different backgrounds, with an original focus on the African continent, is gathering industry figures at hip member’s club The Wilde to spotlight five creatives.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026
However, this same energy could instead spotlight a home, domestic or real estate matter, instead.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spotlight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotlight
Noun
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The series turned Van Der Beek into a youth heartthrob and catapulted him into the national limelight.—
Daniel Arkin,
NBC news,
11 Feb. 2026
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While much of the debate (and excitement) centers on the selection of Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny as the headliner, punk rock fans are eager to see how and what opening band Green Day will do with its moment in the national limelight.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Before long, smitten cast members, including Sarah Sherman and a cameraman wearing an I (Heart) Harry shirt who kept focusing on Styles, proved too much for Gosling, who called off a big song and dance number featuring most of the cast in silver space attire.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Building an ultrathin nickelate with atomic precision The team focused on a compound called La₃Ni₂O₇, a nickelate made of nickel and oxygen atoms arranged in layered structures.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Market attention has focused on whether the conflict will widen to other oil-producing countries in the region.—
DAVID McHUGH,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
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Her death increased attention and support for the bill, although the Session app the teen used likely wouldn’t meet the threshold to be restricted.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Although discrepancies are smaller in data-rich regions such as Western Europe and the eastern United States, where robust local monitoring has kept projections more closely calibrated, the study identifies the West Coast of North America as a region where sea levels have also been underestimated.—
Marcos Magaña,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Renowned paleoanthropologist Ronald Clarke identified four tiny bones in the University of the Witwatersrand’s museum collection and went on to discover Little Foot’s nearly pristine fossil in the 1990s in the Sterkfontein Caves northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spotlight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotlight. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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