A flashlight is a portable electric light you can carry in your hand. Inside its tube-shaped body, batteries power a small bulb or LED that creates a bright beam you can aim wherever you need it. Press the button or twist the end, and light floods out, turning darkness into something you can navigate.

Before flashlights were invented in the late 1800s, people carried candles, oil lamps, or torches, which could be messy, dangerous, and easily blown out by wind. The first flashlights got their name because early batteries were so weak the light could only flash briefly before needing to rest. Modern batteries are much stronger, so today's flashlights shine steadily for hours.

People use flashlights when the power goes out, when camping in the woods, when searching for something dropped under the couch, or when reading under the covers after bedtime. Police officers, firefighters, and search-and-rescue teams rely on powerful flashlights during emergencies. Some flashlights are tiny enough to fit on a keychain, while others are heavy-duty tools that can light up an entire backyard.

In Britain and some other countries, people call this device a torch, though it produces electric light rather than fire.