1
as in illuminated
filled with much light
we approached the clearing, alight with torches, and observed a reenactment of ancient rites by Druids
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in burning
chiefly British
being on fire
the pub, one of London's oldest, was completely alight by the time firefighters arrived
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to perch
to come to rest after descending from the air
a flock of eight swans circled above, then alighted on the pond
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of alight
Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
Five vehicles were set alight in the area of Bill Hughes Park, 1600 Parkside Way, in the space of 10 days, Roseville police said.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Sarah Rex, JSTOR Daily, 20 Aug. 2025
The second was to build what amounts to a nonflammable moat around a home to prevent embers from alighting on anything next to a house that could burn and ignite the structure.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alight
Adjective
Surveillance teams outside the museum prevented the suspects from setting their vehicle alight but could not prevent their escape on scooters along the banks of the Seine.
—Verb
In the wake of such revelations, Jones needed to free his Temple from the threat of government interference and alighted upon Guyana as a new home.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for alight
Adjective
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Key features of the self-standing stick vacuum are the tangle-free illuminated head, three suction levels, and multiple attachments like the upholstery tool for streamlined cleaning.—
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The illuminated blueberry, a longtime symbol of the town's identity, will be lowered at midnight outside Town Hall as part of a celebration that begins earlier in the evening with live music and fireworks.—
Adjective
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Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?—
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Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?—
Verb
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This price for the complex of 149 apartments is perched on the high side of per-unit values of South Bay residential hubs that have landed new owners lately.—
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The shelving unit that contains some of his collection of roughly 20,000 books stretches to the ceiling of the two-story living room; McDaniel would later perch on its narrow catwalk to deliver his lecture.—
Verb
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The trail stays level early on and crosses the road a couple of times before descending through a grove of Arizona cypress to a shallow drainage.—
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The Senate’s negotiations on reopening the government are descending into another impasse.—
Adjective
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At such proximity, intense stellar heat vaporizes material from the planet's surface, which then streams into space, forming a blazing, comet-like tail.—
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In nuclear thermal rockets, a small nuclear reactor heats up a propellant — often liquid hydrogen — to blazing temperatures in the thousands of degrees.—
Verb
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The Hurricanes on Sunday landed another blue-chip recruit for their Class of 2026, receiving an oral commitment from four-star cornerback JJ Dunnigan.—
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Yes, Indiana likely would’ve qualified for the CFP had Cooper’s heel landed out of bounds and Indiana lost.—
Verb
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The build centers around three pairs of floor rails extending from the tailgate up to the front row and a series of individual seats that easily mount to and dismount from those rails.—
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The woman told investigators Herzing had made similar threats in July, which resulted in the victim suffering minor scrapes after dismounting at a stoplight.—
Adjective
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Bowie sported a flaming red mullet, glamorous outfits and pale white makeup for the character, who became a lasting symbol of the 1970s.—
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The coup de grâce is a wagon packed with flaming barrels, which is shepherded down a hill and into the front of the Van Ness manor, setting it ablaze and offering a defiant victory for the underdogs.—
Cite this Entry
“Alight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alight. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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