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noun, verb.
noun 1. a light or fire used as a signal to guide or warn.
△Ex. The fire on the hill was a beacon to Highlanders that the British were coming.
2. a marker, signal light, or radio beams that guides aircraft and ships, especially through fog and storm.
△Ex. The pilot flew safely through the fog guided by a radio beacon.
3. a tall tower for a signal; lighthouse.
△Ex. The boys climbed the beacon to see far out to sea.
4. any thing or person that is a guiding or warning signal.
△Ex. The city lights were a beacon to approaching airplanes. (Figurative.) Washington and Madison were beacons for their times.
v.t. 1. to give light to; guide; warn.
2. to supply or mark with beacons.
v.i. 1. to shine brightly, like a beacon.
2. to serve as a beacon.