Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. A signaling or guiding device, such as a lighthouse, located on a coast.
- n. A radio transmitter that emits a characteristic guidance signal for aircraft.
- n. A source of guidance or inspiration.
- n. A signal fire, especially one used to warn of an enemy's approach.
- transitive v. To provide with or shine as a beacon.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning or guiding.
- n. A signal or conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners.
- n. A high hill or other easily distinguishable object near the shore which can serve as guidance for seafarers.
- n. That which gives notice of danger.
- v. To act as a beacon.
- v. To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.
- v. To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.
- n. A signal, such as that from a lighthouse, or a conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners.
- n. A high hill near the shore.
- n. That which gives notice of danger.
- n. a radio transmitter which emits a characteristic signal indication its location, so that vehicles may determine their exact location by locating the beacon with a radio compass; -- also called radio beacon.
- n. that which provides guidance or inspiration.
- transitive v. To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.
- transitive v. To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To illumine or light up as a beacon.
- To afford light or aid to; lead; guide as a beacon.
- To furnish or mark with beacons: as, to beacon a coast or a boundary: sometimes with off.
- To use as a beacon; make a beacon of.
- To serve or shine as a beacon.
- n. A guiding or warning signal; anything fixed or set up as a token; especially, a signal-fire, either in a cresset and placed on a pole, or lighted on a tower or an eminence.
- n. A tower or hill formerly used for such purposes.
- n. A lighthouse or other object placed conspicuously on a coast, or over a rock or shoal at sea, to give notice of danger, or for the guidance of vessels.
- n. A painted staff about 9 feet long, carrying a small square flag at the top, used in camps to indicate an angle of the quarters assigned to a regiment or company.
- n. In England, formerly, a division of a wapentake; probably a district throughout which a beacon could be seen, or which was bound to furnish one.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- v. shine like a beacon
- n. a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance
- v. guide with a beacon
- n. a radio station that broadcasts a directional signal for navigational purposes
- n. a tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Examples
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We've got what we call beacon schools, where we take the school buildings that are there anyhow, and now we keep them open until 11: 00 p.m. or 12: 00 p.m. at night, six and seven days a week, with programs for young people and adults, funded by the city but run by not-for-profit community organizations.
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This is what we call our beacon of democracy in the region?
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However, before they can leave, a beacon is planted somewhere on the base, alerting the Vanguard to the location of the ship.
Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » JM’s Review Forum
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Separately, when she went to some websites, they had a different kind of technology called a beacon, which is another invisible kind of tracker that runs some software while you're on a page and tries to assess what you're doing on that page.
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All we need to relight the beacon is to return to our true core values – they're all there right in the Declaration and Constitution.
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The large colorful colonial church looms like a beacon from the far edge of the plaza.
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Deep into their voyage, out of radio contact with Earth, the crew hear a distress beacon from the 'Icarus I', which disappeared on the same mission seven years earlier ...
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Perhaps his guiding beacon is the words of that famous Marxist philosoper, "Any club that would have me as a member, I wouldn't want to join".
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A large sound emitter beacon is mounted behind the backboard.
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I wil say the weather beacon is simply stunning in deep blue ...
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