- [uncountable] the energy from the sun, a lamp, etc. that makes it possible to see things
- bright/dim light
- a room with good natural light
- White paint reflects the light.
- The light was beginning to fail (= it was beginning to get dark).
- The knife gleamed as it caught the light (= as the light shone on it).
- The substance causes the bacteria to emit light.
- Some light filters through the dense tree cover.
- by the light of something She could just see by the light of the candle.
- in the fading light of a summer’s evening
- into the light Bring it into the light so I can see it.
- towards the light The plants grow towards the light.
- travelling at the speed of light
- a beam/ray of light
- a light source/beam
- changes in light intensity
Extra ExamplesTopics Physics and chemistrya1- Bring it into the light and we'll have a look at it.
- In winter here there are many more hours of darkness than light.
- The bleach may have lost its effectiveness due to exposure to light or heat.
- Yellow brings light and warmth into a room.
- Lamps threw small pools of light on the carpet.
- Light streamed in through the window.
- Objects reflect, transmit or absorb the light which falls upon them.
- In full light, you could see stains all over the coat.
- Light from a tall lamp fell in a pool on the desk.
- Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light.
- She held up the letter against the light.
- The lamp was the only source of light in the room.
- The place looked calm in the golden evening light.
- There was a flash of light followed by an explosion.
- They managed to see where the door was by the light of the moon.
- We could hardly see the ball in the failing light.
- We were momentarily blinded by the light of the sun.
- You could see the imperfections in the repair when the light caught it.
- light emitted by a star
- the light from the kitchen window
- He squinted in the bright light.
- The light reflecting off the snow was dazzling.
- We could only just make out the path in the dim light.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clear
- good
- bright
- …
- beam
- ray
- burst
- …
- have
- generate
- produce
- …
- gleam
- glow
- shine
- …
- level
- source
- beam
- …
- against the light
- by the light of
- into the light
- …
- (the) light at the end of the tunnel
- the light of day
- (at) the speed of light
- …
- [countable, usually singular] a particular type of light with its own colour or qualities
- A cold, grey light crept under the curtains.
- It glowed and gave off a white light.
Extra Examples- The fluorescent tubes emit a harsh light.
- The scene is bathed in an artificial yellow light.
- A pale light streamed through the window.
- They are only 18 watt but give a light equal to old-style 100 watt bulbs.
- The lamps give a cold bluish light.
- The digital clock produces a sickly green light.
- The tubes emit different-coloured lights.
- film that is sensitive to ultraviolet light
- in the cold light of morning
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clear
- good
- bright
- …
- beam
- ray
- burst
- …
- have
- generate
- produce
- …
- gleam
- glow
- shine
- …
- level
- source
- beam
- …
- against the light
- by the light of
- into the light
- …
- (the) light at the end of the tunnel
- the light of day
- (at) the speed of light
- …
- [countable] a thing that produces light, especially an electric light
- to turn/switch the lights on/off
- to turn out the light(s)
- to turn down/dim the lights
- the lights fade/flicker
- The lights dimmed and the film began.
- Suddenly all the lights went out.
- It was an hour before the lights came on again.
- A light flashed in the distance.
- A bright light shone in his eyes.
- ceiling/wall lights
- The city twinkled with Christmas lights.
- A police car went by with flashing lights.
- Keep going—the lights (= traffic lights) are green.
- Check your car before you drive to make sure that your lights are working.
- He was cycling at night without lights.
- She felt along the wall and found the light switch.
Extra ExamplesTopics Houses and homesa1- A light was still burning in the bedroom.
- The company installed fluorescent lights to cut energy costs.
- They strung the room with party lights.
- I could see a flashing light.
- I need a bedside light for reading.
- I'll put on the outside lights for when you arrive.
- We leave the landing light on at night.
- You've left the porch light on.
- They had wrought iron light fixtures made for the yard.
- The dining room features sleek Art Deco light fittings.
- A warning light goes on when the battery is running low.
- He flashed his lights to warn the oncoming cars.
- Some cars already had their lights on.
- Someone shone a light in my face.
- The blue light was flashing.
- The pilot could just make out the runway landing lights.
- The warning light came on.
- a dark country lane with no lights
- The lights dimmed and the curtain rose.
- Turn on the lights!
- The light flickered a couple of times then went out.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bright
- blinking
- flashing
- …
- flick on
- flip on
- put on
- …
- be off
- be on
- come on
- …
- switch
- fitting
- fixture
- …
- [singular] an expression in somebody’s eyes that shows what they are thinking or feeling
- There was a soft light in her eyes as she looked at him.
- [uncountable] light colours in a picture, which contrast with darker ones
- Examine the artist's use of light and shade.
- contrasting areas of light and dark
- [singular] a match or device with which you can light a cigarette
- (British English) Have you got a light?
- (North American English, British English) Do you have a light?
- Could you give me a light?
- [countable] (architecture) a window or an opening to allow light in
- leaded lights
Which Word? light / lightinglight / lightingsee also skylight- The noun light has several different meanings and is used in many phrases. Lighting can only be used to talk about the type of light in a place or how lights are used to achieve a particular effect:
- the lighting system
- the movie’s interesting lighting effects
- The lighting at the disco was fantastic.
from sun/lamps
lamp
expression in eyes
in picture
for cigarette
window
Word Originnoun ,Old English lēoht, līht (noun and adjective), līhtan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch licht and German Licht, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek leukos ‘white’ and Latin lux ‘light’.
Idioms
See light in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee light in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishaccording to somebody’s/something’s lights
- (formal) according to the standards that somebody sets for himself or herself
- The police were left to do the job according to their lights.
be in somebody’s light
- to be between somebody and a source of light
- Could you move—you're in my light.
be/go out like a light
- (informal) to go to sleep very quickly
- She returned to bed and went out like a light.
be (all) sweetness and light
- (of a person) to be pleasant, friendly and polite
- I can’t complain—he’s been all sweetness and light with me.
- People think she's all sweetness and light, but she actually has a temper.
- (of a situation) to be fun and easy to deal with
- It’s not all sweetness and light being an actor.
the bright lights
- the excitement of city life
- Although he grew up in the country, he's always had a taste for the bright lights.
bring something to light
- to make new information known to people
- These facts have only just been brought to light.
cast/shed/throw light on something
- to make a problem, etc. easier to understand
- Recent research has thrown new light on the causes of the disease.
come to light
- to become known to people
- New evidence has recently come to light.
hide your light under a bushel
- to not let people know that you are good at something
in the cold light of day
- when you have had time to think calmly about something; in the morning when things are clearer
- These things always look different in the cold light of day.
in a good, bad, favourable, etc. light
- if you see something or put something in a good, bad, etc. light, it seems good, bad, etc.
- You must not view what happened in a negative light.
- They want to present their policies in the best possible light.
in the light of something (British English)
(North American English in light of something)
- after considering something
- He rewrote the book in the light of further research.
jump the lights (British English)
(also run a (red) light, run the lights especially in North American English)
- (informal) to fail to stop at a red traffic lightTopics Crime and punishmentc2, Transport by car or lorryc2
light at the end of the tunnel
- something that shows you are nearly at the end of a long and difficult time or situation
- For the first time since the start of his treatment, we can now see light at the end of the tunnel.
(the) light dawned (on somebody)
- somebody suddenly understood or began to understand something
- I puzzled over the problem for ages before the light suddenly dawned.
the light of somebody’s life
- the person somebody loves more than any other
the lights are on but nobody’s home
- (saying, humorous) used to describe somebody who is stupid, not thinking clearly or not paying attention
see the light
- to finally understand or accept something, especially something obvious
- He thinks she’s wonderful but he’ll soon see the light! (= realize that she’s not)
- to begin to believe in a religion
see the light (of day)
- to begin to exist or to become publicly known about
- He's written a lot of good material that has never seen the light of day.
- Some of her paintings never even saw the light of day.
set light to something
- (especially British English) to make something start burning synonym ignite
- A spark from the fire had set light to a rug.
Check pronunciation:
light