light
[noun]
Synonyms:
- brightness, brilliance, glare, gleam, glint, glow, illumination, luminosity, radiance, shine
- lamp, beacon, candle, flare, lantern, taper, torch
- aspect, angle, context, interpretation, point of view, slant, vantage point, viewpoint
- match, flame, lighter
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- bright, brilliant, illuminated, luminous, lustrous, shining, well-lit
- pale, bleached, blond, faded, fair, pastel
[verb]
Synonyms:
- ignite, inflame, kindle
- illuminate, brighten, light up
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[adjective]
Synonyms:
- insubstantial, airy, buoyant, flimsy, portable, slight, underweight
- weak, faint, gentle, indistinct, mild, moderate, slight, soft
- insignificant, inconsequential, inconsiderable, scanty, slight, small, trifling, trivial
- nimble, agile, graceful, lithe, sprightly, sylphlike
- light-hearted, amusing, entertaining, frivolous, funny, humorous, witty
- digestible, frugal, modest
[verb]
Synonyms:
- settle, alight, land, perch
- light on or upon: come across, chance upon, discover, encounter, find, happen upon, hit upon, stumble on

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Antonyms: extinguish, heavy, arduous
Contrasted words: douse, dout, put out, quench, snuff, damp (down), smother, stamp (out), bulky, burdensome, cumbersome, huge, massive, overweight, ponderous, portly, unwieldy, weighty
Related Idioms: light as a feather
Related Words: inconsequential, trifling, trivial, little, petty, small, flimsy, meager, slender, slight

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English Thesaurus: bright, strong, brilliant, dazzling, blinding, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. light¹ S1 W1 /laɪt/ noun
[Word Family: noun: light, lighter, lighting, lightness; adjective: light, lighted, unlit; verb: light, lighten; adverb: lightly, light]
[Language: Old English; Origin: leoht]

1. NATURAL/ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
a) [uncountable] the energy from the Sun, a flame, a lamp etc that allows you to see things:
We saw a flash of light.
in/by the light of something
Everything looked grey in the dim light of the oil lamp.
I read by the light of the fire.
in/into the light
The man moved forward into the light.
b) [countable] a particular type of light, with its own particular colour, level of brightness etc:
The colours look different in different lights.

2. LAMP/ELECTRIC LIGHT ETC [countable]
a) something that produces light, especially electric light, to help you to see:
Ahead of us we could see the lights of the city.
We’re having a mixture of wall lights and ceiling lights in different parts of the house.
turn/switch/put on a light
I switched on the light in the bedroom.
turn/switch/put off a light
Don’t forget to switch the lights off when you go out.
turn/switch/put out a light
Can you turn the light out downstairs?
a light is/comes/goes on
The lights in the office were still on.
The street lights were just beginning to come on.
He left a light on in the kitchen.
a light is off/out
Make sure all the lights are off when you leave.
Suddenly all the lights in the house went out.
Can you turn the light down (=make it less bright) a bit? ⇒ the bright lights at bright(13)
b) something such as a lamp that you can carry to give you light:
Shine a light over here, will you?

3. TRAFFIC CONTROL [countable usually plural] one of a set of red, green, and yellow lights used for controlling traffic Synonym : traffic lights:
We waited for the lights to change.
Eventually the lights turned green.
The driver had failed to stop at a red light. ⇒ green light, red-light district

4. ON A VEHICLE [countable usually plural] one of the lights on a car, bicycle etc that help you to see at night:
He was dazzled by the lights of oncoming traffic.
You’ve left your lights on. ⇒ brake light, headlight, parking light

5. first light literary the time when light first appears in the morning sky:
We set out at first light the next day.

6. be/stand in sb’s light to prevent someone from getting all the light they need to see or do something:
Could you move to the left a little – you’re standing in my light.

7. FOR A CIGARETTE a light a match or something else to light a cigarette:
Have you got a light, please?

8. IN SB’S EYES [singular] literary an expression in someone’s eyes that shows an emotion or intention Synonym : gleam:
There was a murderous light in his eyes.

9. set light to something to make something start burning:
The candle fell over and set light to the barn.

10. come to light/be brought to light if new information comes to light, it becomes known:
This evidence did not come to light until after the trial.
The mistake was only brought to light some years later.

11. throw/shed/cast light on something to provide new information that makes a difficult subject or problem easier to understand:
Melanie was able to shed some light on the situation.
These discoveries may throw new light on the origins of the universe.

12. in the light of something British English, in light of something American English if you do or decide something in the light of something else, you do it after considering that thing:
In light of this tragic event, we have canceled the 4th of July celebrations.

13. in a new/different/bad etc light if someone or something is seen or shown in a particular light, people can see that particular part of their character:
I suddenly saw my father in a new light.
This incident will put the company in a very bad light.

14. see the light
a) to suddenly understand something:
At last doctors have seen the light!
b) to begin to believe in a religion very strongly

15. see 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 comes into existence for the first time

16. light at the end of the tunnel something that gives you hope for the future after a long and difficult period:
It’s been a hard few months, but we’re finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

17. have your name in lights informal to be successful and famous in theatre or films

18. go/be out like a light informal to go to sleep very quickly because you are very tired:
I went straight to bed and went out like a light.

19. a leading light in/of something informal someone who is important in a particular organization:
She’s one of the leading lights of the local dramatic society.

20. the light of sb’s life the person that someone loves more than anyone else:
Her son was the light of her life.

21. WINDOW [countable] a window in a roof or wall that allows light into a room
⇒ hide your light under a bushel at bushel, ⇒ be all sweetness and light at sweetness(3), ⇒ in the cold light of day at cold¹(9)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. light² S1 W1 adjective (comparative lighter, superlative lightest)
[Word Family: noun: light, lighter, lighting, lightness; adjective: light, lighted, unlit; verb: light, lighten; adverb: lightly, light]
[Language: Old English; Origin: leoht]

1. COLOUR a light colour is pale and not dark:
You look nice in light colours.
light blue/green/grey etc
She had blue eyes and light brown hair.
I wanted a lighter yellow paint for the walls.

2. DAYLIGHT it is/gets light if it is light, there is the natural light of day Antonym : dark:
We’ll keep on looking while it’s still light.
It was seven o'clock and just starting to get light.

3. ROOMS a room that is light has plenty of light in it, especially from the sun Antonym : dark:
The kitchen was light and spacious.
The office was a big light room at the back of the house.

4.
NOT HEAVY not very heavy:
You can carry this bag – it’s fairly light.
You should wear light, comfortable shoes.
The truck was quite light and easy to drive.
She was as light as a feather (=very light) to carry. ⇒ lighten, lightweight²

5. NOT GREAT if something is light, there is not very much of it or it is not very great Antonym : heavy:
Traffic is lighter before 8 a.m.
A light rain began to fall.
She was wearing only light make-up.
people who have suffered only light exposure to radiation

6. CLOTHES light clothes are thin and not very warm:
She took a light sweater in case the evening was cool.
a light summer coat

7. WIND a light wind is blowing without much force Antonym : strong:
Leaves were blowing about in the light wind.
There was a light easterly breeze.

8. SOUND a light sound is very quiet Antonym : loud:
There was a light tap at the door.
Her voice was light and pleasant.

9. TOUCH a light touch is gentle and soft:
She gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
He felt a light tap on his shoulder.

10. WORK/EXERCISE light work is not hard or tiring:
I found him some light work to do.
She only has a few light duties around the house.
The doctor has advised me to take regular light exercise.

11. FOOD
a) food or drink that is light either does not have a strong taste or does not make you feel full very quickly, for example because it does not contain very much fat, sugar, or alcohol Antonym : rich:
We had a light white wine with the fish.
a light, refreshing dessert
a new light cheese spread with virtually no fat
b) a light meal is a small meal Antonym : big:
I had a light lunch in town.
a delicious light snack
c) food that is light contains a lot of air:
a type of light, sweet bread
Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy.

12. PUNISHMENT a light punishment is not very severe Antonym : harsh:
a fairly light sentence

13. a light smoker/drinker/eater etc someone who does not smoke etc very much

14. light sleep/doze a sleep from which you wake up easily:
I fell into a light sleep.

15. a light sleeper someone who wakes up easily if there is any noise etc:
She’s quite a light sleeper.

16. NOT SERIOUS not serious in meaning, style, or manner, and only intended to entertain people:
His speech gradually became lighter in tone.
an evening of light music
It’s a really good book if you want a bit of light reading.
The show looks at some of the lighter moments from the world of politics.

17. light relief something that is pleasant and amusing after something sad or serious:
I’m glad you’ve arrived – we could all do with a little light relief!

18. make light of something to joke about something or treat it as not being very serious, especially when it is important:
She tried to make light of the situation, but I could tell that she was worried.

19. on a lighter note/in a lighter vein used when you are going to say something less sad or serious:
On a lighter note, the concert raised over £300 for school funds.

20. make light work of something to do something or deal with something quickly and easily:
A freezer and microwave oven can make light work of cooking.

21. be light on your feet to be able to move quickly and gracefully:
She’s very agile and light on her feet.

22. a light heart literary someone who has a light heart feels happy and not worried:
I set off for work with a light heart. ⇒ light-hearted

23. SOIL light soil is easy to break into small pieces Antonym : heavy:
Carrots grow well in light soils.
—lightness noun [uncountable]:
a lightness of touch

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. light³ S2 W3 verb (past tense and past participle lit or lighted)
[Word Family: noun: light, lighter, lighting, lightness; adjective: light, lighted, unlit; verb: light, lighten; adverb: lightly, light]
[Language: Old English; Origin: lihtan]

1. [intransitive and transitive] to start to burn, or to make something start to burn:
He stopped to light a cigarette.
I lit the fire and poured a drink.
I couldn’t get the candles to light.

2. [transitive usually passive] to provide light for a place:
The room was lit by one large, central light.
The porch is always well lit at night.
The kitchen was warm and brightly lit.
a poorly lit car park

3. light the/sb’s way to provide light for someone while they are going somewhere:
We had only a few torches between us to light the way.
light on/upon something phrasal verb literary

1. to notice or find something by chance:
His eye lit on a ruby ring.
I thought I might have lit upon an ancient manuscript.

2. if a bird or insect lights on something, it stops flying and stands on it
light out phrasal verb American English informal
to run away, especially because you are afraid
light up phrasal verb

1. light something ↔ up to give light to a place or to shine light on something:
The flames lit up the sky.
The fountain is lit up at night.

2. to become bright with light or colour:
At night the harbour lights up.
As the screen lit up, he typed in his password.

3.
a) if someone’s face or eyes light up, they show pleasure, excitement etc
light up with
His eyes lit up with laughter.
Her face lit up with pleasure.
b) light something ↔ up to make someone’s face or eyes show pleasure or excitement:
Suddenly a smile lit up her face.
A mischievous gleam lit up her eyes.

4. informal to light a cigarette:
I watched Paul light up again.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

IV. light⁴ adverb
[Word Family: noun: light, lighter, lighting, lightness; adjective: light, lighted, unlit; verb: light, lighten; adverb: lightly, light]
⇒ travel light at travel¹(1)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

light
adj.
I. not dark
VERBS be | become, get, grow It was starting to get light. As soon as it grew light, we got up and dressed.
ADV. completely, quite We'll set out as soon as it's completely light.
almost It was almost light outside.
fairly | enough It was not light enough to see things clearly.
still | beautifully The whole house was beautifully light and airy.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

light
II. not weighing much
VERBS be, feel, seem | become
ADV. exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, very | fairly, quite, reasonably, relatively | enough The tent is light enough for backpacking and touring.
surprisingly

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

light
III. not great in amount/degree
VERBS be
ADV. very | comparatively, fairly, quite, relatively The traffic is usually fairly light in the afternoons.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

light
noun
I. brightness
ADJ. clear, good | bright, harsh, intense, strong | blinding | full In full light, you could see Alison was well over forty.
bad, dim, faint, feeble, murky, poor, uncertain, weak | subdued | failing We could hardly see the ball in the failing light.
gentle, pale, soft, watery | mellow, warm | cold, cool in the cold light of morning
early | artificial | natural | infrared, ultraviolet film that is sensitive to ultraviolet light
visible
QUANT. beam, ray | burst, flash, gleam, glimmer There was a flash of light followed by an explosion.
patch, pool
VERB + LIGHT have Have you got enough light for reading?
generate, produce | cast, emit, give (out), provide, shed light emitted by a star
be bathed in | be sensitive to
LIGHT + VERB gleam, glow, shine | come, fall, pour Light from a tall lamp fell in a pool on the desk.
reflect The light reflecting off the snow was dazzling.
grow stronger, increase | fade, fail | blind sb, dazzle sb We were momentarily blinded by the light of the sun.
catch sth You could see the imperfections in the repair when the light caught it.
LIGHT + NOUN level | source | beam
PREP. against the ~ She held up the letter against the light.
by the ~ of They managed to see where the door was by the light of the moon.
into the ~ Bring it into the light and we'll have a look at it.
in the ~ The place looked calm in the golden evening light.
~ from the light from the kitchen window
PHRASES (at) the speed of light Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light.
a point of light, a source of light The lamp was the only source of light in the room.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

light
II. sth that produces light
ADJ. bright the bright lights of the city
flashing, twinkling | electric, fluorescent, gas, neon, strip | bedside, ceiling, outside, overhead, wall | street | hazard, security, warning The car was stopped at the side of the road with its hazard lights flashing. A warning light goes on when the battery is running low.
landing The pilot could just make out the runway landing lights.
VERB + LIGHT put on, switch on, turn on | have on Some cars already had their lights on.
leave on | extinguish, put off/out, switch off, turn off/out | turn up | dim, turn down | shine Someone shone a light in my face. | flash He flashed his lights to warn the oncoming cars.
LIGHT + VERB be off/on | come on The warning light came on.
go out | fuse | gleam, glimmer, glow, shine | flash The blue light was flashing.
flicker The light flickered a couple of times then went out.
blind sb, dazzle sb
LIGHT + NOUN switch | fitting
 ⇒ See TRAFFIC LIGHT

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

light
verb
I. make sth begin to burn
VERB + LIGHT attempt to, try to | pause to, stop to She paused to light another cigarette.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

light
II. (oftenbe lit) give light to sth
ADV. well a brightly lit room
badly, dimly, poorly a dimly lit street
brightly, brilliantly | softly | briefly, momentarily (figurative) A gleam of humour momentarily lit his face.
suddenly | artificially, electrically | up There was an explosion and the whole sky lit up.
PREP. with (figurative) Her face lit up with pleasure.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

light

bright/strong
The light was so bright he had to shut his eyes.
blinding/dazzling (=extremely bright)
The white buildings reflected a blinding light.
dim (=not bright)
Gradually her eyes became accustomed to the dim light.
good (=bright enough)
Stand over here where the light is good.
poor/bad (=not bright enough)
The light was too poor for me to read.
soft/warm (=light that seems slightly yellow or orange)
the soft light of the candles
cold/harsh (=light that seems slightly blue)
the cold light of the moon
the morning/dawn 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 was windowless, lit only by artificial light.
light 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 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 round it.
the light is fading (=it is getting darker as the sun is going down)
produce light (also emit light technical)
the light produced by the sun
cast light (=send light onto something)
the gold circle of light cast by the lamp
reflect light
Snow reflects a lot of 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.
a beam/ray/shaft of light (=a thin line of light)
There was a shaft of light from the doorway.
a flash of light (=a bright light that appears suddenly for a very short time)
A flash of light caught his attention.
a pool/circle of light (=an area of light)
They stood in the pool of light cast by the streetlamp.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

bright shining strongly:
The sunshine was very bright.
the bright light of the torch
strong very bright:
Photographs fade if they are exposed to strong sunlight.
brilliant extremely bright, especially in a way that seems good:
The garden was full of brilliant autumn sunshine.
dazzling a dazzling light is so bright that it hurts your eyes and you cannot look at it:
dazzling headlights
the dazzling reflection from the mirror
blinding a blinding light is very bright and makes you unable to see for a short time after you have looked at it:
There was a sudden blinding light, followed by the sound of a huge explosion.
harsh a harsh light is bright and unpleasant:
In the harsh light of the kitchen, she looked older than she was.
good if the light is good in a place where you are working, it is bright enough for you to see what you are doing:
The light wasn’t good enough to read.
light bright because there are big windows:
The dining room was light and airy.
well-lit bright because there are plenty of electric lights:
Try to park in a well-lit place.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

colour red, blue, yellow etc:
Blue is my favourite colour.
Matisse was famous for his use of colour.
shade a particular type of a colour:
The dress is a light shade of pink.
He uses different shades of green.
hue /hjuː/ literary or technical a particular colour or shade of a colour:
Her face had lost its golden hue.
tint a small amount of a colour in something that is mostly another colour:
He wears sunglasses that have a pinky-orange tint.
tone one of the many different shades of a colour, each slightly darker, lighter, brighter etc than the next:
Carpets in neutral tones give a feeling of space.
dark used about a colour that is strong and fairly close to black:
a dark blue suit
His eyes are dark brown.
deep fairly dark – often used when you think this colour looks attractive:
His eyes were a beautiful deep blue.
deep red lips
rich used about a colour that is fairly dark in a way that gives a pleasant feeling of warmth:
The walls were painted a rich red colour.
light used about a colour that is not dark:
a light blue sweater
His T-shirt was light green.
pale used about a colour that is very light:
He has very pale blue eyes.
soft used about a colour that is light in a way that is attractive because it is not too obvious:
She wears soft colours such as cream, which match her complexion.
pastel used about a colour that has a lot of white in it:
The girls wore pastel pink sundresses.
bright used about a colour that is strong and easy to see:
The front door was painted bright red.
brilliant/vivid used about a colour that is very bright:
I looked out at the brilliant blue sky.
vivid red flowers
colourful British English, colorful American English used about things that have many different bright colours:
There were window boxes full of colourful flowers.
multicoloured British English, multicolored American English used about things that have a pattern of many different bright colours:
A multicoloured flag waved in the midday sun.
gaudy/garish too brightly coloured, in a way that is unattractive:
The wallpaper was much too gaudy for me.
a garish orange tie

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

light something that produces light, especially electric light, to help you to see:
She switched the kitchen light on.
The lights in the house were all off.
lamp an object that produces light by using electricity, oil, or gas - often used in names of lights:
a bedside lamp
a street lamp
a desk lamp
a table lamp
an old oil lamp
a paraffin lamp
lantern a lamp that you can carry, consisting of a metal container with glass sides that surrounds a flame or light:
The miners used lanterns which were lit by candles.
torch British English, flashlight American English a small electric lamp that you carry in your hand:
We shone our torches around the cavern.
candle a stick of wax with a string through the middle, which you burn to give light:
The restaurant was lit by candles.
bulb the glass part of an electric light, that the light shines from:
a 100 watt bulb
an energy-saving light bulb
headlight (also headlamp) one of the two large lights at the front of a vehicle:
It was getting dark so she switched the headlights on.
sidelight British English, parking light American English one of the two small lights next to the main lights, at the front and back of a car
tail light one of the two red lights at the back of a vehicle
indicator British English, turn signal American English one of the lights on a car that flash to show which way the car is turning

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

light used about a colour that is not dark:
a light blue sweater
His T-shirt was light green.
pale used about a colour that is very light:
He has very pale blue eyes.
soft used about a colour that is light in a way that is attractive because it is not too obvious:
She wears soft colours such as cream, which match her complexion.
pastel used about a colour that has a lot of white in it:
The girls wore pastel pink sundresses.
faded light in colour because of being washed many times or affected by the sun:
The curtains were old and faded.
a pair of faded jeans

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

pale a pale colour is very light:
He has very pale blue eyes.
a flower with pale green leaves
light a light colour is not dark:
His T-shirt was light green.
a light blue sweater
pastel pastel colours have a lot of white in them:
The girls wore pastel pink sundresses.
faded light in colour because of being washed many times or affected by the sun:
The curtains were old and faded.
a pair of faded jeans
soft used about a colour that is light in a way that is attractive because it is not too obvious:
She wears soft colours such as cream, which match her complexion.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

light
̈ɪlaɪt
See: bring to light , come to light , dash light , hide one's light under a bushel , in the light of , make light of , many hands make light work , out like a light , see the light , travel light

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲