to light
- verb
- /laɪt/
- Archaic
- The poet beautifully described how the leaves lighted down to the ground in the autumn breeze.
Examples
-
Oh, I can see her now, with the golden rays of the setting sun lighting up her sweet old face.
-
Scrutiny implies an act of vision to light a way ahead.
Academic text (2007) -
She came to light a candle, and she saw our car.
-
In conclusion, this paper brings to light several important features of subglottic carcinoma.
Academic text (1999) -
Antonio's face lights up as the passengers roar their approval and rush for the door.
Fiction book (1991) -
On the second morning, Percy Pigeon sailed out of the barn and lit on the post.
Fiction book (1997) -
As the sun began to set, the weary travelers lighted gently on the grassy hill to rest.
-
In the quiet of the evening, they lighted softly upon the surface of the still lake.
Synonyms
To climb down from a horse or similar animal
To leave a vehicle or animal by stepping down
To sit or put something on a high narrow place
To get off a horse, bicycle, or vehicle
To come down and land after flying, like a bird on a branch
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 Gentle
Surface Forms
Etymology
Light (verb) meaning 'to come down gently' is related to old words like alight that meant 'land' or 'get down'. That's why we can say a bird 'lighted' on a branch — it landed softly.