Pronunciations (6)
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/laɪt/
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[laɪt]
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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[lɑjt]
Pronunciation notes
- British
- Southern
- Standard
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[ɫɐɪt]
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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[ləjt]
Pronunciation notes
- Canada
- US
- regional
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[lɑɪt]
Pronunciation notes
- Australia
Noun
Electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range visible to the human eye (about 400–750 nanometers): visible light.
Usage- Uncountable
- Examples
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As you can see, this spacious dining-room gets a lot of light in the mornings.
More examples (1)
Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps,[…], and the light of the reflector fell full upon her.
Here the stripped panelling was warmly gold and the pictures, mostly of the English school, were mellow and gentle in the afternoon light.
More examples (2)
[Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.
When the studio light is on, I am recording my evening show.
Electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range visible to the human eye or in nearby ranges (infrared or ultraviolet radiation).
Usage- broadly
- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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black light
Electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength.
Usage- broadly
- Countable
- Uncommon
- Uncountable
- Examples
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More examples (1)
It’s everywhere. At this moment, as you sit quietly reading this book, you are awash in it. At work, it’s emanating from your electronic devices; step outside for lunch, and the sun bathes you in it. You may receive an extra dose of it when you visit your doctor, pass through security at the airport, or drive through city streets, but minuscule amounts of it are with you always. You cannot see, hear, smell, or feel it, but there is never a single second when it is not flying through your body. Too much of it will kill you, but without it you wouldn’t live a year. “Invisible light” seems like a contradiction. Like Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence,” it’s an oxymoron. We think of light, by definition, as something seen, something that enables our seeing, illuminating the darkness. Unlike dogs, who sniff in order to “get” what an object is, we depend on vision above all our other senses. We rely on light to tell us about our surroundings. But just as there are frequencies of sound audible to other animals that we cannot hear, there is a whole world of light outside our range of vision, a world that is humming with activity. Though we rarely think about this invisible world, our way of life depends on it. It’s because of invisible light that you can do things such as send a text message, use GPS to find your way to a friend’s house, listen to the radio, or microwave a frozen pizza. Invisible light shows us things we would never otherwise see, including our own skeletons and brains and the history of our universe. I was reminded of just how much we rely on invisible light, and how mysterious it remains to us, during a visit from my sister and her family. It was a lazy summer afternoon, and we were sprawled across a few couches sharing a bowl of popcorn. My niece, her shoulders crimson after a day outdoors, was chatting on her cell phone, holding up a promising finger to her mother, who was scolding her for not using sunscreen. My brother-in-law, meanwhile, was asking my opinion on an article he’d read proposing that Wi-Fi be banned in schools because of its dangers. We were all depending on invisible light (for the microwave popcorn, the cell-phone service) while being concerned that it might harm us (sunburn, mysterious Wi-Fi health threats) and confused about what to do to protect ourselves. We need it, and it surrounds us, yet we remain uneasy about living with invisible light, partly because we fear what is unknown. After all, most of us don’t know much about “all the light we cannot see.” This book aims to change that. My hope is to expose the hidden side of the spectrum, to make the invisible (at least temporarily) visible and vivid to you.
A source of illumination.
Usage- Countable
- Examples
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Please turn on the light.
Put that light out!
And the light ſhineth in darkneſſe, and the darkneſſe compꝛehended it not.
More examples (1)
He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights, […], the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength—all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts.
A source of illumination. A lightbulb or similar light-emitting device, regardless of whether it is lit.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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We turned off all the lights and went to sleep.
More examples (1)
The ceiling lights were off, but I knew the narrow light spilling from the lamp on my bureau would be enough for her to see the pale red marks on my chest, which had been fading for so long they had gone back to being shiny again.
A source of illumination. A traffic light, or (by extension) an intersection controlled by traffic lights.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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To get to our house, turn right at the third light.
Spiritual or mental illumination; enlightenment, useful information.
Usage- Countable
- Figurative
- Uncountable
- Examples
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Can you throw any light on this problem?
He shall never know / That I had any light of this from thee.
More examples (2)
A sudden light broke upon him and he repeated the first line with expression.
Greatly interested in these differences—some of them so great that they led me to seek exchanges of light with Englishmen—I looked for some work that would describe and account for them with a show of completeness, and perhaps depict the process of their origin.
Facts; pieces of information; ideas, concepts.
Usage- Archaic
- Countable
- in-plural
- Uncountable
- Examples
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Now these notions are twofold, actions or habits[…], which are durable lights and notions, which we may use when we will.
"Well, there's her statement of her case, and according to her lights, it's a just one. She's got a slum-bred mind."
A notable person within a specific field or discipline.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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Picasso was one of the leading lights of the cubist movement.
Joan of Arc, a light of ancient France
The manner in which the light strikes a picture; that part of a picture which represents those objects upon which the light is supposed to fall; the more illuminated part of a landscape or other scene; opposed to shade.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
A point of view, or aspect from which a concept, person or thing is regarded.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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I'm really seeing you in a different light today.
Magoon's governorship in Cuba was viewed in a negative light by many Cuban historians for years thereafter.
More examples (3)
Frequent consideration of a thing […] shows it in its several lights and various ways of appearance.
Thy ſteddy Temper, Portius, Can look on Guilt, Rebellion, Fraud, and Cæſar, In the calm Lights of mild Philoſophy; […]
Now if there was one thing that the animals were completely certain of, it was that they did not want Jones back. When it was put to them in this light, they had no more to say.
A flame or something used to create fire.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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"There will, I expect, be many such - possibly whole cities in flames - when we consider how many folk may have dropped with lights in their hands."
A flame or something used to create fire. A cigarette lighter.
Usage- Countable
- Slang
- Uncountable
- Examples
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Hey, buddy, you got a light?
A firework made by filling a case with a substance which burns brilliantly with a white or coloured flame.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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a Bengal light
A window in architecture, carriage design, or motor car design: either the opening itself or the window pane of glass that fills it, if any.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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This facade has eight south-facing lights.
The series of squares reserved for the answer to a crossword clue.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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The average length of a light on a 15×15 grid is 7 or 8.
A cross-light in a double acrostic or triple acrostic.
Usage- Countable
- Informal
- Uncountable
Open view; a visible state or condition; public observation; publicity.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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The duke yet would have dark deeds darkly answered; he would never bring them to light.
The power of perception by vision: eyesight (sightedness; vision).
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eies, it also is gone from me.
The brightness of the eye or eyes.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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He seemed to find his way without his eyes; / For out o'door he went without their helps, / And, to the last, bended their light on me.
Verb
To start (a fire).
Usage- Transitive
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Examples
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We light a fire in the garden.
We lit the fire to get some heat.
To set fire to; to set burning.
Usage- Transitive
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Examples
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She lit her last match.
if a thousand candles be all lighted from one
To illuminate; to provide light for when it is dark.
Usage- Transitive
- Synonyms
- Examples
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The lamps light the street.
I used my torch to light the way home through the woods in the night.
More examples (1)
19th century', Frederic Harrison, The Fortnightly Review One hundred years ago, to have lit this theatre as brilliantly as it is now lighted would have cost, I suppose, fifty pounds.
The Sun has set, and Vesper, to supply / His absent beams, had lighted up the sky.
More examples (2)
It was lighted by a couple of windows, one of which favoured an intimate inspection of two chimney pots, and a diagonal section of the Town Hall clock.
"Can I light you down to your cab?"
To become ignited; to take fire.
Usage- Intransitive
- Synonyms
- Examples
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This soggy match will not light.
To attend or conduct with a light; to show the way to by means of a light.
- Examples
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His bishops lead him forth, and light him on.
To make (a bonus) available to be collected by hitting a target, and thus light up the feature light corresponding to that bonus to indicate its availability.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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Light the extra ball by amassing 500 million points in the wizard mode.
Adjective
Having light; bright; clear; not dark or obscure.
- Examples
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The room is light when the Sun shines through the window.
More examples (1)
Historic England explained the listing: "The station's unique design employs a high level of sophistication and innovation through its use of conoid shells supported on a cruck-like frame, which not only create a dramatic aesthetic form, but endow the building with a light and spacious interior."
Pale or whitish in color; highly luminous and more or less deficient in chroma.
- Examples
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She had light skin.
More examples (1)
'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the Sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.
Served with extra milk or cream.
Usage- of coffee
- Examples
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Do you want your coffee light or black? -I like mine light.
Adjective
Having little or relatively little actual weight; not heavy; not cumbrous or unwieldy.
- Examples
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This bag is light.
a light load ; a lighter backpack after having removed the books ; light weapons
These weights did not exert their natural gravity […] insomuch that I could not guess which was light or heavy whilst I held them in my hand.
Having little weight as compared with bulk; of little density or specific gravity.
- Examples
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feathers and cork are light ; oil is lighter than water
Of short or insufficient weight; weighing less than the legal, standard, or proper amount; clipped or diminished.
- Examples
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to issue light coin
Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy. Free from burden or impediment; unencumbered.
Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy. Lightly built; typically designed for speed or small loads.
- Examples
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a light aircraft ; a light tank
Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy. Not heavily armed; armed with light weapons.
- Examples
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light infantry; a troop of light horse
Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy. Riding high because of no cargo; by extension, pertaining to a ship which is light.
Usage- of a ship
- Examples
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if a ship is light or partially loaded ; the light draft of a vessel, or its light displacement
Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy. Without any piece of equipment attached or attached only to a caboose.
Usage- of a locomotive or consist of locomotives
- Examples
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the light locomotives ; a locomotive may be moved light
More examples (1)
On that August Thursday afternoon, there was little freight traffic; a large "K3" Mogul went down with a short, fast goods, and a W.D. 2-8-0 proceeded northward light.
Lacking that which burdens or makes heavy. With low viscosity.
Not heavy or soggy; spongy; well raised.
- Examples
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a light bread ; sponge cake is a light cake
Low in fat, calories, alcohol, salt, etc.
- Examples
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This light beer still gets you drunk if you have enough of it.
Slight, not forceful or intense; small in amount or intensity.
- Examples
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a light drizzle//a light rain was falling//a light snow set in
Gentle; having little force or momentum.
- Examples
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This artist clearly had a light, flowing touch.
Easy to endure or perform.
- Examples
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light duties around the house
Light sufferings give us leisure to complain.
Unimportant, trivial, having little value or significance.
- Examples
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I made some light comment, and we moved on.
More examples (1)
He had drunk more than was fit for him, and he was singing some light song, when he saw approaching, as he said, the pale horse mentioned in the Revelation, with Death seated as the rider.
Unchaste, wanton.
Usage- Obsolete
- Examples
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Long after lay he musing at her mood, / Much grieu'd to thinke that gentle Dame so light, / For whose defence he was to shed his blood.
So do not you; for you are a light girl.
More examples (1)
A light wife doth make a heavy husband.
Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift.
- Examples
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Unmarried men are best friends, best masters […] but not always best subjects, for they are light to run away.
Fast; nimble.
Easily influenced by trifling considerations; unsteady; unsettled; volatile.
Usage- Dated
- Examples
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a light, vain person; a light mind
There is no greater argument of a light and inconsiderate person than profanely to scoff at religion.
Indulging in, or inclined to, levity; lacking dignity or solemnity; frivolous; airy.
- Examples
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Ogden Nash was a writer of light verse.
Seneca can not be too heavy, nor Plautus too light.
More examples (1)
specimens of New England humour laboriously light and lamentably mirthful
Not quite sound or normal; somewhat impaired or deranged; dizzy; giddy.
- Examples
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Are his wits safe? Is he not light of brain?
Easily interrupted by stimulation.
- Examples
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light sleep; light anesthesia
Cheerful.
- Examples
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I wish you a good day, and you'll find a way To make your spirits light & gay
Adverb
Carrying little.
- Related words
- Examples
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I prefer to travel light.
Noun
A stone that is not thrown hard enough.
See lights (“lungs”).
A low-alcohol lager.
Usage- Australia
- Uncountable
- Examples
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We crossed to the pub on the corner of Carlisle Street and I ordered two schooners of old for him and one of light for me.
A member of the light cavalry.
Usage- Historical
Verb
To unload a ship, or to jettison material to make it lighter.
To lighten; to ease of a burden; to take off.
- Examples
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His mailèd habergeon she did undight, / And from his head his heavy burgonet did light.
To leave; to depart.
Usage- broadly
Verb
To find by chance.
- Examples
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I lit upon a rare book in a second-hand bookseller's.
To stop upon (of eyes or a glance); to notice.
- Examples
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"Sacredam!" he cried, when his eyes lit upon Buck. "Dat one dam bully dog! Eh? How moch?"
To alight; to land or come down.
Usage- Archaic
- Examples
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She fell out of the window but luckily lit on her feet.
More examples (1)
[W]e knew not what Courſe to take, but the Creatures [wolves] reſolv'd us ſoon, for they gather'd about us preſently, in Hopes of Prey, […] I drew my little Troop in among thoſe Trees, and placing our ſelves in a Line, behind one long Tree, I advis'd them all to light, and keeping that Tree before us, for a Breaſt-Work, to ſtand in a Triangle, or three Fronts, encloſing our Horſes in the Center.
And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
More examples (3)
Some kinds of ducks in lighting strike the water with their tails first, and skitter along the surface for a few feet before settling down.
1957, Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel), The Cat in the Hat And our fish came down, too. He fell into a pot! He said, "Do I like this? Oh, no! I do not. This is not a good game," Said our fish as he lit.
One cannot help but notice a teasingly elusive air about her, as if she were a butterfly that refused to light and fluttered just out of reach of its would-be captor.
Adjective
of comparatively little physical weight or density
- Antonyms
- Examples
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a light load
magnesium is a light metal — having a specific gravity of 1.74 at 20 degrees C
(used of color) having a relatively small amount of coloring agent
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Examples
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light blue
light colors such as pastels
More examples (1)
a light-colored powder
of the military or industry; using (or being) relatively small or light arms or equipment
- Antonyms
- Examples
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light infantry
light cavalry
More examples (2)
light industry
light weapons
not great in degree or quantity or number
- Antonyms
- Examples
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a light sentence
a light accent
More examples (4)
casualties were light
light snow was falling
light misty rain
light smoke from the chimney
psychologically light; especially free from sadness or troubles
- Antonyms
- Examples
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a light heart
characterized by or emitting light
- Antonyms
- Examples
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a room that is light when the shutters are open
the inside of the house was airy and light
(used of vowels or syllables) pronounced with little or no stress
- Synonyms
- Examples
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a syllable that ends in a short vowel is a light syllable
a weak stress on the second syllable
easily assimilated in the alimentary canal; not rich or heavily seasoned
- Examples
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a light diet
(used of soil) loose and large-grained in consistency
- Examples
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light soil
(of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims
- Examples
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efforts to obtain a clean bass in orchestral recordings
clear laughter like a waterfall
More examples (2)
clear reds and blues
a light lilting voice like a silver bell
moving easily and quickly; nimble
- Examples
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the dancer was light and graceful
a lightsome buoyant step
More examples (1)
walked with a light tripping step
demanding little effort; not burdensome
- Examples
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light housework
light exercise
of little intensity or power or force
- Antonyms
- Examples
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the light touch of her fingers
a light breeze
(physics, chemistry) not having atomic weight greater than average
- Antonyms
- Examples
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light water is ordinary water
weak and likely to lose consciousness
- Examples
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suddenly felt faint from the pain
was sick and faint from hunger
More examples (4)
felt light in the head
a swooning fit
light-headed with wine
light-headed from lack of sleep
very thin and insubstantial
- Examples
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light summer dresses
marked by temperance in indulgence
- Synonyms
- Examples
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abstemious with the use of adverbs
a light eater
More examples (2)
a light smoker
ate a light supper
less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
- Examples
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a light pound
a scant cup of sugar
More examples (1)
regularly gives short weight
having little importance
- Examples
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losing his job was no light matter
intended primarily as entertainment; not serious or profound
- Examples
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light verse
a light comedy
silly or trivial
- Synonyms
- Examples
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idle pleasure
light banter
More examples (1)
light idle chatter
designed for ease of movement or to carry little weight
- Examples
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light aircraft
a light truck
having relatively few calories
- Synonyms
- Examples
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light (or lite) beer
lite (or light) mayonnaise
More examples (2)
a low-cal diet
cola light
(of sleep) easily disturbed
- Synonyms
- Examples
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in a light doze
a light sleeper
More examples (1)
a restless wakeful night
casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior
- Examples
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her easy virtue
he was told to avoid loose (or light) women
More examples (1)
wanton behavior
Noun
(physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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the light was filtered through a soft glass window
any device serving as a source of illumination
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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he stopped the car and turned off the lights
a particular perspective or aspect of a situation
- Broader terms
- Examples
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although he saw it in a different light, he still did not understand
the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light
- Broader terms
- Examples
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its luminosity is measured relative to that of our sun
an illuminated area
- Broader terms
- Examples
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he stepped into the light
a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
- Synonyms
- Examples
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follow God's light
the visual effect of illumination on objects or scenes as created in pictures
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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he could paint the lightest light and the darkest dark
a person regarded very fondly
- Broader terms
- Examples
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the light of my life
having abundant light or illumination
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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they played as long as it was light
as long as the lighting was good
mental understanding as an enlightening experience
- Broader terms
- Examples
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he finally saw the light
can you shed light on this problem?
merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance
- Examples
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he had a sparkle in his eye
there's a perpetual twinkle in his eyes
public awareness
- Broader terms
- Examples
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it brought the scandal to light
a visual warning signal
- Broader terms
- Examples
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they saw the light of the beacon
there was a light at every corner
a device for lighting or igniting fuel or charges or fires
- Broader terms
- Examples
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do you have a light?
Adverb
with few burdens
- Synonyms
- Examples
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experienced travellers travel light
Verb
introduce light into
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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This lamp lightens the room a bit
begin to smoke
- Broader terms
- Examples
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After the meal, some of the diners lit up
to come to rest, settle
- Examples
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Misfortune lighted upon him
cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat
- Synonyms
- Examples
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Great heat can ignite almost any dry matter
Light a cigarette
fall to somebody by assignment or lot; passed
- Synonyms
- Examples
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The task fell to me
It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims
alight from (a horse)
start or maintain a fire in
- Examples
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fire the furnace