to light
- verb
- /laɪt/
- In the bedroom, he left her to light several candles about the room.
- light a fire
- light a candle
- light a room
OK, OK, And you're going to light this on fire.
- OK, OK, And you're going to light this on fire.
- I mean, baby, you light up my world like nobody.
Examples
-
It's about to light up.
-
Why did you have to light a fire?
-
Great, I'll light a fire.
-
OK, And now you light the flame in there.
-
Stick a feather in one end as a fuse, light it and stand well back.
-
OK, light everything up with the lanterns.
-
The sooner we light the stove, the sooner the world will know we have a new Pope.
-
While she fidgeted with the matches to light the oil heater, the telephone rang.
Fiction book (1990) -
Slowly, the occupants stirred, rose, opened doors, lit fires, and made cups of tea.
Fiction book (1990) -
He will light the barbecue after everyone arrives.
Synonyms
To produce light and heat from fire
To light and keep burning a stove or furnace
To make something start burning
Begin to shine or make something begin to shine, for example by burning
To make something bright or visible with light
To offer a flame to start a cigarette or candle
To light something or make it easier to understand
To shine light on something to make it visible
To light up a place or thing
To make something shine with soft light
Antonyms
Idioms
To keep your talents or good work hidden instead of showing them to others
To start something that quickly becomes exciting or causes strong debate
Phrasal Verbs
Become suddenly very happy or make a place bright and sometimes scold someone strongly
- Offensive
To angrily tell someone they did something wrong, often in front of others
Compounds
- Specialized
A constant speed at which light travels in empty space, about 300,000 kilometres per second
A device with red, yellow and green lights that controls cars and people at street intersections
- Specialized
The distance light travels in one year in space, about 9.46 trillion kilometers
A light that flashes to warn people, for example on ambulances or at crossings
- Specialized
A fighter in the weight class between middleweight and heavyweight
- Specialized
A type of light from the sun that you cannot see and that can burn your skin
- Specialized
A red light at the back of a car that comes on when you press the pedal to stop
A red, yellow and green sign on a report or screen that shows a project's status
- Jargon
A quiet feeling of God's presence inside a person that guides their choices
A glass bulb with a thin wire that makes light when electricity passes through it
- Specialized
A small device that makes light when electricity flows through it, for example in traffic lights and screens
- Archaic
A lamp that makes very bright light when electricity jumps between two metal rods
A piece of clear material, like a camera lens, that reduces light passing through it
- Specialized
A tool that uses light and lenses to make tiny things like cells look larger
- Specialized
The amount of light you can see coming from a lamp or the sun in one direction
How Bright
Surface Forms
Etymology
Light (verb) meaning 'to make bright' or 'start a fire' comes from an old verb lihtan that meant 'make bright' or 'set on fire'. So to light a fire is to make it burn and shine.