beacon
A light or fire used as a signal that can be seen from far away.
beacon in a sentence
- The lighthouse beacon flashed through the storm, guiding the ships safely home.
- Campers on the far hill lit a beacon so the rescue helicopter could spot them from miles away.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to beacon?
- Adarkness
- Bsignal
- Cgloom
- Dshadow
Show the answer
B: signal. The other three mean the opposite of beacon.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to beacon?
- Adarkness
- Bsignal
- Clight
- Dguide
Show the answer
A: darkness. The other three mean nearly the same as beacon.
Words that mean something similar
signal, light, guide
Words that mean the opposite
darkness, shadow, gloom
More words about light & dark
- dazzle: To amaze someone with bright light or brilliance.
- dingy: Dark, dirty and a little gloomy.
- dismal: Dull, gloomy and miserable.
- gleam: To shine softly with light.
- glimmer: To shine with a faint, unsteady light; or that faint light.
- glisten: To shine and sparkle, often because something is wet.
- gloomy: Dark, dull and a little sad.
- ignite: To set something on fire or make it start burning.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test