noun | adjective | verb | adverb
lightlight1 /laɪt/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1
BRIGHTNESS [singular, uncountable] brightness from the sun, or from something such as a lamp or flame, that allows you to see things: A bright light flashed in the sky. We could see light coming from under the door. The morning light shone through the window.by the light of something Lincoln studied by the light of a fire (=using light produced by a fire).into the light Come into the light where I can see you. A shaft of light came through the leaves overhead (=a line of bright light). They started searching at first light (=when the sun first begins to shine). They stood in the pool of light cast by the streetlamp (=area of light). → see also Northern Lights2LAMP/ELECTRIC LIGHT ETC. [countable] an electric piece of equipment that produces light: Ahead of us we could see the lights of the city. All the lights were on in the house. Is the porch light off? Please turn on the light. I turned off all the lights before I left. Suddenly all the lights in the house went out (=stopped shining). The lights came on a few minutes later (=started shining). The police officer shined her light into the bushes. Could you please dim the lights so we can see the screen (=make them less bright)? → see also the bright lights (of something) at bright (8)3TRAFFIC CONTROL [countable] one of a set of red, green, and yellow lights used for controlling traffic, or the whole set considered as one: Turn right at the next light. The light turned green, and we drove off. We waited for the lights to change. I can’t believe you just ran a red light (=drove past a red light). → see also green light, traffic lights4ON A VEHICLE [countable usually plural] one of the lights on a car, bicycle, etc., especially the headlights: You left your lights on. → see also brake light, parking light5be/stand in somebody’s light to prevent someone from getting all the light he or she needs to see or do something: Could you move over? You’re standing in my light.6in a new/different/bad etc. light if someone or something is seen or shown in a new, different, etc. light, a particular part of someone's character becomes clear and this affects your opinion of him or her: I suddenly saw my father in a new light.7in light of something if you do or decide something in light of a new situation or new information, you do it because of that situation or information: In light of recent events, we have canceled our celebration.8come to light (also be brought to light) if new information comes to light, it becomes known: It eventually came to light that the CIA had information about the security problem.9throw/shed/cast light on something to provide new information that makes a difficult subject or problem easier to understand: These discoveries may shed some light on the origins of the universe.10see the light of day a)if an object sees the light of day, it is taken from the place where it has been hidden, and becomes publicly known: Some of these documents will probably never see the light of day. b)if a law, decision, etc. sees the light of day, it begins to exist11light at the end of the tunnel something that gives you hope for the future after a long and difficult period: After a year of declining profits, there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel.12see the light a)often humorous to suddenly understand something: Danny finally saw the light and bought me flowers on Valentine’s Day. b)informal to begin to believe in a religion very strongly13go/be out like a light informal to go to sleep very quickly because you are very tired: She was out like a light, as soon as we put her in bed.14the light of somebody’s life the person whom someone loves the most: We have a four-year-old son who is the light of my life.15light in somebody’s eyes literary an expression in your eyes that shows an emotion, especially excitement, or intention: The boy sat on Santa’s lap with light in his eyes.16have your name in lights informal to be successful and famous in the theater or movies17a leading light in/of something informal someone who is important in a particular group: She is a leading light in the local drama society.18the lights are on, but nobody’s home spoken humorous used to say that someone is stupid or not paying attention19CIGARETTE a light a match or cigarette lighter to light a cigarette: Do you have a light?20ART [uncountable] areas of lighter color in paintings, drawings, and photographs21WINDOW [countable] technical a window or other opening in a roof or wall that allows light into a room[Origin: Old English leoht] → see also in the cold light of day at cold1 (14), be all sweetness and light at sweetness (6)COLLOCATIONSverbslight shines The light from the streetlamp shone through the curtains.light comes from somewhere The only light came from the fire.light streams/floods in (=a large amount of light comes in) Light streamed in through the window.light falls on/across etc. something The light from the sun fell on her book.light illuminates something formal (=makes it bright or able to be seen) The light from the screen illuminated the people gathered around it.the light fades (=it gets darker as the sun goes down) As the light faded, we decided to start a fire.produce light (also emit light technical) The light produced by the sun keeps the planet alive.cast light (=send light onto something) The lamp cast a gold circle of light on the floor.reflect light Snow reflects a lot of light.something catches the light (=something shines for a short time because the light hits it) Her earrings sparkle when they catch the light.something is bathed in light literary (=something has a lot of light shining on it) The fields and woods were bathed in golden light.adjectives/nouns + lightbright/strong light The light was so bright he had to shut his eyes.blinding/dazzling light (=extremely bright) The white buildings reflected a blinding light.dim light (=not bright) Gradually her eyes were getting used to the dim light.pale light (=not bright) The pale light of dawn fell on the fields.good light (=bright enough) Stand over here where the light is good.poor/bad light (=not bright enough) The light was too poor for me to read.soft/warm light (=light that seems slightly yellow or orange) The room looked beautiful in the soft light of the candles.cold/harsh light (=light that seems white or slightly blue) Everyone looked pale in the cold light of the hospital room.the morning/afternoon/evening light The flowers glowed brightly in the morning light.natural light (=light produced by the sun) The only natural light came from two high windows.artificial light (=light produced by lamps) The office had no windows and was lit only by artificial light.visible light (=that can be seen by the human eye) Stars give off visible light because they have very high temperatures. noun | adjective | verb | adverb
lightlight2 ●●● S1 W2 adjective 1
COLOR a light color is pale and not dark OPP dark: You look nice in light colors. She had blue eyes and light brown hair. → see also deep1 (5)THESAURUSpale – very light, with a lot of white in it: The little girl wore a pale pink dress.pastel – light and not at all bright. You use pastel especially about pink, yellow, green, or blue: She covered the baby with a pastel blue blanket.faded – if something is faded, it is a lighter color than it was at first, because it has been changed by the sun, washing, or age: He was wearing faded old jeans.soft – light and not at all bright, and seeming pleasant and relaxing: The bedroom was painted a soft shade of yellow.fair – if someone’s skin or hair is fair, it is light in color: Someone with fair skin like you should probably use stronger sunscreen.2WEIGHT not weighing very much, or weighing less than you expect OPP heavy: Why is your suitcase lighter than mine? You can carry this – it’s light. The tiny baby felt light as a feather in my arms (=very light). → see also lighten, lightweight23CLOTHES light clothes are thin and not very warm OPP thick: You’ll need at least a light jacket.4OUTSIDE it is/gets light used to say that there is enough natural light outside to see by, or that the light outside increases because the sun rises: It gets light before 6 a.m.5ROOM a room that is light has plenty of light in it, especially from the sun OPP dark: The studio was light and spacious.6WIND blowing without much force OPP strong: a light breeze7TOUCH very gentle and soft: She gave him a light kiss on the cheek. → see also lightly8AMOUNT small in amount, or less than you expected: The traffic’s much lighter than usual. We arrived late and had a light meal before we went to bed (=a meal in which you only eat a small amount). → see also heavy1 (4)9FOOD a)not containing much fat or having fewer calories: Would you like regular or light cream cheese? → see also lite b)food or an alcoholic drink that is light either does not have a strong taste or is easy to digest: We had a light white wine with the fish. Yogurt with fresh fruit makes a delicious light dessert.10PUNISHMENT not very severe OPP harsh: Jones received only a light punishment.11WORK/EXERCISE not very tiring: I try to have a light workout every day.12SLEEP used to describe sleep from which you wake up very easily OPP deep: I fell into a light sleep. Ethan is a very light sleeper (=he wakes up easily).13NOT SERIOUS not serious in meaning, style, or manner: His speech gradually became lighter in tone. The television show takes a look at the lighter side of working in a hospital. I picked up a novel for some light reading on the flight. In her book, Rose handles these difficult questions with a light touch (=a relaxed and pleasant style). On a lighter note, let’s talk about Boston’s fabulous sports teams (=used when you introduce something funny or less serious than before). It is shocking that anyone could make light of child abuse (=make a joke of it). → see also lightly14a light smoker/drinker/eater etc. someone who does not smoke, drink, eat, etc. very much15be light on your feet to be able to move quickly and gracefully16make light work of something to finish a job quickly and easily17SOIL easy to break into small pieces OPP heavy18HEART literary someone who has a light heart feels happy and not worried → see also light-headed, light-hearted—lightness noun [uncountable] noun | adjective | verb | adverb
lightlight3 ●●● S2 W2 verb (past tense and past participle lit /lɪt/ or lighted) 1[intransitive, transitive] to start to burn, or to deliberately make something start to burn: She lit the candles on her son’s birthday cake. The fire won’t light.► see thesaurus at burn12[transitive usually passive] to give light to something: The Christmas display was lit by 30,000 colored bulbs.well-lit/poorly lit I like to study in a well-lit room. → see also lighten3light somebody’s way to provide light for someone while he or she is going somewherelight on/upon something phrasal verb1to fly to something and sit on it: The dragonfly had lighted on her arm.2literary to suddenly notice, find, or discover something by chance: His eye lit on the wedding ring on her finger. Then we lit on a new idea.light out phrasal verb informal to go or run somewhere as quickly as you can: The boys lit out for home.light up phrasal verb1light something ↔ up to give light to a place or to shine light on something: Fireworks lit up the sky.2 if someone’s face or eyes light up or something lights them up, they show pleasure, excitement, etc.: Sue’s face lit up when Sean walked in.light up with The boy’s face lit up with delight.light something ↔ up Suddenly a smile lit up her face.3 to become bright with light or color: All the buttons on his phone lit up.4 informal to light a cigarette5 to make a place or situation seem happier, more pleasant, or more exciting: Her smile lights up the whole room. noun | adjective | verb | adverb
lightlight4 adverb → see travel light at travel1 (1)