stoplight

noun

stop·​light ˈstäp-ˌlīt 

1

: a light on the rear of a motor vehicle that is illuminated when the driver presses the brake pedal

2

: traffic signal

Examples of stoplight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His car was at a stoplight when a man outside grabbed the bumper and began rocking it up and down. — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

The blind man nudged the ferrule of his cane into the bulk of the sleeping figure, sidestepped him deftly, and moved on to the end of the block, a stoplight, heavy traffic, cyclists, big scary trucks. — Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026

The agency might even take the opportunity to completely redesign the disastrous Ashland, Armitage and Elston Avenue intersection and save generations of Chicagoans the headache of spending 15 minutes navigating through a single stoplight. — Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

Nestled serenely in northern South Dakota on Native American land and surrounded by livestock and crops as far as the eye can see, Timber Lake is a ranching community with two pumps serving regular gas and no stoplights. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stoplight

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

stoplight

noun

stop·​light ˈstäp-ˌlīt 

: traffic signal