the spotlight

noun

: public attention or notice
a baseball star who hates the spotlight
They're always in the spotlight.
School violence is once again under the media spotlight.
The news article turned/put the spotlight on the city's financial problems.

Examples of the spotlight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The continent’s inventors are in the spotlight as Johannesburg prepares to host the final of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa prize. — Leah Quinn, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026 For more than a decade, Seventeen’s Jeonghan and Joshua have shared the spotlight with 11 bandmates in one of K-pop’s best-selling groups. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026 Just like her July nuptials, Swift once again turned to Dior for her moment in the spotlight. — Freya Drohan, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2026 But the latest Israel-Hezbollah war — which pushed Lebanon and Israel into direct negotiations — has brought them under the spotlight again. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for the spotlight

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“The spotlight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20spotlight. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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