Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

headlight

American  
[hed-lahyt] / ˈhɛdˌlaɪt /

noun

  1. a light lights or lamp, usually equipped with a reflector, on the front of an automobile, locomotive, etc.

headlight British  
/ ˈhɛdˌlaɪt /

noun

  1. a powerful light, equipped with a reflector and attached to the front of a motor vehicle, locomotive, etc See also quartz-iodine lamp

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of headlight

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; head + light 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Luxury companies look like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

From The Wall Street Journal

She said she had been at the end of her tether, feeling dizzy and her headlight had gone out.

From BBC

In a debate at Westminster last October, MPs voiced widespread concerns about bright headlights.

From BBC

“Chip, do that later. The bus is coming,” Jonah said, because he could see the headlights swinging around the corner.

From Literature

Macleod agrees: "Turn off torches and car headlights, and stop looking at your phone because the light from the screen can affect your eyes acclimatising and adjusting to the total darkness."

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.