illuminate vs spotlight

illuminate is not a noun while spotlight is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
illuminate	No	No	Yes	No
spotlight	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, spotlight is a hyponym of illuminate; that is, spotlight is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than illuminate:

Other hyponyms of illuminate include floodlight.

illuminate (noun)	spotlight (noun)
	a lamp that produces a strong beam of light to illuminate a restricted area; used to focus attention of a stage performer
	a focus of public attention

illuminate (verb)	spotlight (verb)
introduce light into	illuminate with a spotlight, as in the theater
make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear	move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent
add embellishments and paintings to (medieval manuscripts)