Meaning of light In English

• 0 the brightness that comes from the sun, fire, etc. and from electrical devices, and that allows things to be seen:

  • a bright light

  • fluorescent/ultraviolet light

  • a beam/ray of light

  • Light was streaming in through the open door.

  • It's a north-facing room so it doesn't get much light (= brightness from the sun).

  • Could you switch/turn the light on/off, please?

  • She could see the city lights in the distance.

  • As the lights went down, the audience grew quiet.

  • My front bike light isn't working.

  • She stopped at the lights and saw him on the other side of the road.

  • As the lights turned green, cyclists would be the first away, with cars and buses following on behind.

  • Some signals use technologies that detect when cars are stopped at the light.

• 1 something that will produce a flame and cause burning, such as a match or a cigarette lighter:

  • Have you got a light, please?

  • The lamp caught fire and set light to the curtains.

• 2 animal lungs eaten as food:

  • The French like to poach lights before frying them with onions, tomatoes, and a wine sauce.

  • They used the whole animal, including liver and lights.

• 3 not weighing a lot:

  • Here, take this bag - it's quite light.

  • He's a few pounds lighter than he used to be.

  • How do you get your cakes so wonderfully light, Amy?

  • He has a very light (= gentle) touch, which is what is required in massage.

  • She's very light on her feet (= she moves gracefully).

  • a light summer dress

• 4 lit by the natural light of the day:

  • The big windows make the room feel wonderfully light and airy.

  • It gets light very early these summer mornings.

  • Summer is coming and the evenings are getting lighter (= getting dark later).

• 5 (of colours) pale:

  • light blue/green

• 6 entertaining and easily understood, but not serious and not intended to make you think:

  • I want some light reading for the summer holidays - a romance or something.

  • A lively argument between the two main speakers provided some light relief (= something enjoyable or amusing) in an otherwise dull conference.

  • It is easy to make light of other people's problems.

• 7 not great in strength or amount:

  • A light wind was blowing.

  • The traffic was quite light so we got through London quickly.

  • It's only light rain - you don't need an umbrella.

• 8 A light meal is small and easy to digest:

  • I don't eat much for lunch - just a light snack.

  • It's described on the label as "light, fruity wine".

• 9 needing only a very small amount of effort:

  • light exercise, such as walking

  • a little light housework

  • He got off with a fairly light sentence because it was his first conviction.

  • Heather made light work of painting the walls.

  • You made light work of that chocolate cake (= you ate it quickly)!

• 10 to start to burn or to make something start to burn:

  • to light a fire

  • I can't get the cooker to light.

  • He lit his fifth cigarette in half an hour.

• 11 to produce light that makes an object or area bright or easy to see:

  • The stage had been lit with candles.

  • Fireworks lit up the sky (= made the sky bright).

• 12 the energy from the sun or fire and from electrical devices that allows you to see clearly:

  • [ U ] Light was streaming through the windows.

  • [ U ] The light was so bright that it hurt my eyes.

  • [ C ] Don’t forget to turn off the lights when you leave.

  • Let’s go – you’ve got a green light.

• 13 a device used to produce a flame, such as a match:

  • Excuse me, have you got a light?

• 14 having little weight; not heavy:

  • This suitcase is pretty light.

  • Ty’s a few pounds lighter than he used to be.

  • a light summer dress

  • a light snack

• 15 (of food) having less fat or fewer calories than usual:

  • light cream cheese

• 16 intended to entertain; not serious:

  • Take along some light reading for the trip.

• 17 not great in strength or amount; slight:

  • a light rain

  • light traffic

  • The doctor said it was OK to take light exercise, such as walking.

  • a light scent of wildflowers

• 18 providing energy from the sun that allows you to see clearly:

  • It was still light out at eight in the evening.

• 19 (of colors) pale:

  • a light-colored car

  • The walls were light green.

• 20 to provide with energy from the sun, fire, or electrical devices that allow you to see clearly:

  • The house was lit with candles for the dinner party.

• 21 to produce a flame:

  • [ I ] I can’t get the barbecue to light.

  • [ T ] I tried to light the fire, but the wood was wet.

• 22 not great in size, strength, or amount:

  • Air traffic was very light at Heathrow so we were not delayed.

  • We had a light meal before we began negotiations.

• 23 used for describing forms of transport that are smaller or that use less power than the usual kind:

  • Fleets of light trucks deliver furniture to households throughout the region.

  • Light aircraft allow busy executives to fly anywhere at a moment's notice.

  • A contest for light rail development drew interest from urban planners.

• 24 needing only a very small amount of work or effort:

  • light chores/cleaning/work

• 25 not having a lot of something:

  • light on details/facts/information His presentation was light on details as to how he would spend the money.

• 26 to do something quickly or easily:

  • Workers from the second shift stayed late so we were able to make light work of unloading the deliveries.

• 27 a way of thinking about or understanding something:

  • a bad/good/new light After they won all those awards, we saw them in a new light and decided they were serious competitors.

  • a negative/positive light We want to show our country in a positive light.

• 28 to show something about a situation that was previously unknown:

  • This sheds new light on why e-business investment does not always lead to improved firm performance.

• 29 to give someone permission to do something:

  • Contractors were given a green light to install the infrastructure for the industrial park.

• 30 because of something or as a result of something:

  • In light of problems we're having, we have no choice but to close the business.