light

light¹ W1S1 [laıt] n

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1¦(natural/artificial light)¦

2¦(lamp/electric light etc)¦

3¦(traffic control)¦

4¦(on a vehicle)¦

5 first light

6 be/stand in somebody's light

7¦(for a cigarette)¦

8¦(in somebody's eyes)¦

9 set light to something

10 come to light

11 throw/shed/cast light on something

12 in the light of something

13 in a new/different/bad etc light

14 see the light

15 see the light (of day)

16 light at the end of the tunnel

17 have your name in lights

18 go/be out like a light

19 a leading light in/of something

20 the light of somebody's life

21¦(window)¦

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[: Old English; Origin: leoht]

1.) ¦(NATURAL/ARTIFICIAL LIGHT)¦

a) [U]

the energy from the sun, a flame, a lamp etc that allows you to see things

▪ The morning light came streaming in through the windows.

▪ She opened the curtains to let in the light.

▪ It was late afternoon and the light was beginning to fade.

▪ a pattern of light and shade

in/by the light of sth

▪ Eveything looked grey in the dim light of the oil lamp.

▪ We sat and talked by the light of the fire.

in/into the light

▪ The man moved forward into the light.

good/strong/bright light

▪ We'll need good light if we want to take the photographs outside.

poor/dim/fading light

▪ In the fading light she could just make out the shape of a tractor.

soft/warm light

▪ The valley was bathed in the soft light of dawn.

cold/harsh light

▪ the cold, harsh light of a winter afternoon

blinding/dazzling light

(=extremely bright light)

▪ We saw a sudden flash of blinding light.

a beam/ray/shaft of light

(=a thin line of light)

▪ The clouds parted and a beam of light fell on the field.

b)

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)¦

a) an electric light

▪ 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

b) something such as a lamp that you can carry to give you light

▪ Shine a light over here, will you?

3.) ¦(TRAFFIC CONTROL)¦ [C usually plural]

one of a set of red, green, and yellow lights used for controlling traffic

= ↑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)¦ [C 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.

5.) first light

literary the first light that 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 SOMEBODY'S EYES)¦ [singular]

literary an expression in someone's eyes that shows an emotion or intention

= ↑gleam

▪ There was a murderous light in his eyes.

9.) set light to sth

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 sth

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 sth

BrE in light of sth AmE

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 cancelled 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 sth 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)¦

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, in the cold light of day at ↑cold¹ (9)

light ²

light² W1S1 adj comparative lighter superlative lightest

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1¦(colour)¦

2¦(daylight)¦

3¦(rooms)¦

4¦(not heavy)¦

5¦(not great)¦

6¦(clothes)¦

7¦(wind)¦

8¦(sound)¦

9¦(touch)¦

10¦(work/exercise)¦

11¦(food)¦

12¦(punishment)¦

13 a light smoker/drinker/eater etc

14 light sleep/doze

15 a light sleeper

16¦(not serious)¦

17 light relief

18 make light of something

19 on a lighter note/in a lighter vein

20 make light work of something

21 be light on your feet

22 a light heart

23¦(soil)¦

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[: 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

≠ ↑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

≠ ↑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

≠ ↑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

≠ ↑strong

▪ Leaves were blowing about in the light wind.

▪ There was a light easterly breeze.

8.) ¦(SOUND)¦

a light sound is very quiet

≠ ↑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

≠ ↑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

≠ ↑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

≠ ↑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 sth

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 sth

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

≠ ↑heavy

▪ Carrots grow well in light soils.

>lightness n [U]

▪ a lightness of touch

light ³

light³ W3S3 v past tense and past participle lit or lighted

[: Old English; Origin: lihtan]

1.) [I and T]

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.) [T 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 [light on/upon sth] phr v

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 phr v

to run away, especially because you are afraid

light up phr v

1.) light sth<=>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 sth<=>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.

light ⁴

light⁴ adv

→travel light at ↑travel¹ (1)