light
- adjective
- /laɪt/
- Your numbers were light, Professor Schmidt.
Examples
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Most received fines or light jail sentences.
-
The problem is your books are light.
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Envelopes are coming back light, too.
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- The check was light so they sent Starkie to collect.
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The hives were still light; they were still empty of honey.
Fiction book (1990) -
Interestingly, the prosecutors at the meeting gave Wilson only light.
Academic text (1995) -
Normally, we would send a security team, but given the extreme sensitivity of the L-series genetic research, we feel it best to exert a light touch here.
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Many offenders receive a light punishment for minor infractions.
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The company imposed a light fine after the first violation.
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He was given a light sentence due to his age and lack of prior offenses.
Synonyms
Not having enough of what is needed
A small amount that is barely enough
Very thin and below a healthy weight for their age and height
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
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 Full
Surface Forms
Etymology
Light meaning less than the correct weight comes from the simple idea of 'not heavy' — the item is lighter than it should be. So a 'light' bag may have less inside than expected.