light

light1 [ laıt ] noun ***

1. ) uncount brightness from the sun or from a light, which allows you to see things:

The room gets a lot of light in the afternoons.

light shines: Light from the street lamps was shining through a gap in the curtains.

a beam/flash/shaft/ray of light: The clouds parted and a single beam of light fell on the church.

by the light of something (=using the light from something): The house could be clearly seen by the light of the moon.

be/stand in someone's light (=to prevent someone from seeing something by standing between them and a light): It's harder when you keep standing in my light.

a ) singular or uncount a particular type of brightness:

the gray light of dawn

The lamp produces a very warm soft light.

b ) the light the brightness that the sun produces during the day:

The light started to fade so we had to stop playing.

2. ) count a piece of electrical equipment that produces brightness:

I could see a light in the window of the farmhouse.

turn on/switch on/put on a light: Could somebody put the light on?

turn off/switch off/put off a light: I turned the lights off and shut the door.

a light comes on: Lights were coming on in the street.

a light goes off/out: The light flickered and went out.

a warning/security light: A red warning light comes on when the brake fluid is low.

a ) one of the lights on a car or other vehicle:

You've left your lights on.

b ) on of a set of TRAFFIC LIGHTS:

I nearly drove through a red light.

Turn left at the lights.

3. ) singular something used for lighting a cigarette:

Do you have a light?

bring something to light or come to light

if facts are brought to light or come to light, people discover them:

New evidence in this case has recently come to light.

catch the light

if something catches the light, it shines because it is reflecting light

go out like a light INFORMAL

to go to sleep very quickly

in a bad/new/different etc. light

used for talking about people's opinion of a particular person or thing:

see someone/something in a ... light: It was an incident that made me see him in a completely different light.

show someone/something in a ... light: Most of the articles about the dispute showed the mayor in a very bad light.

in light of something

because of a particular fact:

In light of your good driving record, we've decided to overlook this offense.

light at the end of the tunnel or light on the horizon

something that makes you think that a difficult situation will improve

(the) light dawns

if light dawns on you, you suddenly understand or realize something

a light in someone's eyes

a particular feeling that someone's eyes seem to express

the light of someone's life

the person that someone loves the most

the lights are on but no-one's home HUMOROUS

an expression used for saying that someone is stupid or is not listening

punch someone's lights out INFORMAL

to hit someone very hard in the face

see the light

1. ) to suddenly realize or understand something

2. ) to start to have strong religious beliefs

see the light (of day)

1. ) if an object sees the light of day, it is brought out of a place where it has been for a long time

2. ) if something such as an idea, plan, or rule sees the light of day, it starts to exist

set light to something

to make something start burning

throw/shed/cast light on something

to provide new information that helps you understand something:

I had hoped that he would be able to shed some light on the problem.

light

light 2 [ laıt ] adjective ***

▸ 1 bright/well lit/not dark

▸ 2 pale in color

▸ 3 not weighing much

▸ 4 small/not much

▸ 5 not severe

▸ 6 gentle/quiet/not strong

▸ 7 enjoyable & not serious

▸ 8 about food/drink

▸ 9 about sleep

▸ 10 soil: easy to break up

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) very bright because of light from the sun:

The room is light and airy.

a ) if it is light, you can see because it is day and not night:

I want to get home while it's still light.

it gets light (=it becomes light enough to see): It gets light around 5 a.m.

─ opposite DARK

2. ) pale in color, not dark:

a light blue shirt

3. ) not weighing much or weighing less than you expect:

The table is a lot lighter than it looks.

as light as a feather (=extremely light): The younger children are as light as a feather.

a ) less than the correct weight:

This bag of apples feels a little light.

b ) light clothes are made of thin cloth and are not very warm:

a light summer jacket

4. ) not much in quantity:

Traffic was fairly light as we left the city.

a light frost

a ) a light eater is someone who does not eat much food

b ) a light meal is small and easy to eat:

light snacks/refreshments

5. ) a light punishment is not very severe:

a light prison sentence

─ opposite HARSH

a ) light work or exercise is not very difficult and does not need a lot of strength or effort

6. ) a light wind is not very strong:

a light breeze

─ opposite STRONG

a ) a light touch is very gentle:

a light kiss on the head

b ) a light sound is very quiet:

She heard a light knock at the window.

7. ) enjoyable and not very serious:

a little light reading

8. ) food or drink that is light has less fat or alcohol than other similar food or drink. This word is sometimes spelled lite on food labels:

light beer/cream cheese

a ) used about foods and drinks that do not have a strong taste:

Muscadet is a light fresh wine.

b ) a cake that is light tastes nice because it has a lot of air in it

9. ) a light sleep is one in which you wake up often. Someone who often wakes up while they are sleeping is called a light sleeper.

10. ) light soil is easy to break into pieces

light on your feet INFORMAL

able to move or dance in an easy and graceful way

make light of something

to treat something as not very serious

make light work of (doing) something

to do something very quickly and easily

on a lighter note SPOKEN

used when you are going to say something that is less serious than what you were talking about before

light

light 3 [ laıt ] (past tense and past participle lit [ lıt ] ) verb ***

1. ) transitive to make something start to burn:

Amy lit a cigarette.

a ) intransitive to start to burn:

The fire won't light if the wood is wet.

2. ) light or light up transitive often passive to make a place brighter by giving it more light:

light by: The room was lit by candlelight.

dimly/badly/brightly lit: The room was dimly lit.

3. ) transitive if you light someone's way, you use a light to lead them through a dark place

light a fire under someone INFORMAL

to make someone work harder

`light into phrasal verb transitive INFORMAL

light into someone to attack someone physically or with cruel words because you are angry at them

`light on or `light upon phrasal verb transitive FORMAL

light on/upon something to suddenly find something or think of something:

Suddenly she lit upon a new way of approaching the problem.

,light `up phrasal verb

1. ) intransitive or transitive INFORMAL to light a cigarette

2. ) transitive same as LIGHT 3 2:

They could see the airport lit up far below them.

Fireworks were lighting up the night sky.

3. ) intransitive or transitive if someone's face or eyes light up, they express a strong emotion, usually happiness or excitement:

Antony's eyes lit up when Keiko walked into the room.

4. ) intransitive if a light lights up, it starts to shine:

A warning signal lit up on the dashboard.

light

light 4 [ laıt ] adverb

if you travel light, you travel with only a few bags or suitcases