beacon
noun · verb
Simple meaning
That which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
beekuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbikən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
figurative
That which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path; a source of inspiration.
A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.
An electronic device that broadcasts a signal to nearby portable devices, enabling smartphones etc. to perform actions when in physical proximity to the beacon.
A high hill or other easily distinguishable object near the shore which can serve as guidance for seafarers.
verb
Guide with a beacon
Shine like a beacon
intransitive
To act as a beacon.
transitive
To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.
transitive
To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: That which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path; a source of inspiration.
Used this way, beacon is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It carries warmth, so it reads as personal rather than detached.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Hopeful and forward-looking
- Usage feel
- Warm and expressive
Nearby words
- radio beacon , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use beacon
- “The lighthouse served as a beacon guiding ships safely to shore.”
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: that which gives notice of danger or hope
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.