- 1 full of light; having the natural light of day We'll leave in the morning as soon as it's light. It gets light at about 5 o'clock. It was a light spacious apartment at the top of the building. opposite dark Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, become, get, … adverbvery, almost, barely, … See full entry colours
- 2 pale in colour light blue eyes Lighter shades suit you best. People with pale complexions should avoid wearing light colours. opposite dark Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, become, get, … adverbvery, almost, barely, … See full entry weight
- 3 easy to lift or move; not weighing very much Modern phones are light and easy to carry. Carry this bag—it's the lightest. He's lost a lot of weight—he's three kilos lighter than he was. The little girl was as light as a feather. The aluminium body is 12% lighter than if built with steel. opposite heavy Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, feel, seem, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry See related entries: Materials and properties
- 4 [usually before noun] of less than average or usual weight light summer clothes Only light vehicles are allowed over the old bridge. opposite heavy Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, feel, seem, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry
- 5used with a unit of weight to say that something weighs less than it should do The delivery of potatoes was several kilos light. gentle
- 6 [usually before noun] gentle or delicate; not using much force She felt a light tap on her shoulder. the sound of quick light footsteps You only need to apply light pressure. As a boxer, he was always light on his feet (= quick and elegant in the way he moved). opposite heavy work/exercise
- 7 [usually before noun] easy to do; not making you tired After his accident he was moved to lighter work. some light housework You are probably well enough to take a little light exercise. See related entries: Describing work not great
- 8 not great in amount, degree, etc. light traffic The forecast is for light showers. light winds Trading on the stock exchange was light today. opposite heavy Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, remain adverbvery, remarkably, comparatively, … See full entry not severe/serious
- 9not severe He was convicted of assaulting a police officer but he got off with a light sentence. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, remain adverbvery, remarkably, comparatively, … See full entry
- 10 entertaining rather than serious and not needing much mental effort light reading for the beach a concert of light classical music We were just making light conversation. See related entries: Describing a story
- 11 not serious She kept her tone light. This programme looks at the lighter side of politics. We all needed a little light relief at the end of a long day (= something amusing or entertaining that comes after something serious or boring). The job does have its lighter moments. Let’s talk about lighter things, shall we? On a lighter note, we end the news today with a story about a duck called Quackers. cheerful
- 12[usually before noun] free from worry; cheerful I left the island with a light heart. food
- 13(of a meal) small in quantity a light supper/snack I just want something light for lunch. opposite heavy See related entries: Texture of food
- 14not containing much fat or not having a strong flavour and therefore easy for the stomach to digest Stick to a light diet. see also lite See related entries: Taste of food
- 15containing a lot of air This pastry is so light. drink
- 16low in alcohol a light beer
- 17(Indian English) (of tea or coffee) containing a lot of water synonym weak I don't like my coffee too light. I think I’ll have a light tea. opposite strong sleep
- 18[only before noun] a person in a light sleep is easy to wake She drifted into a light sleep. I've always been a light sleeper. opposite deep Word Originadjective senses 1 to 2 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’. adjective senses 3 to 17 Old English lēocht, līht (noun), lēohte (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch licht and German leicht, from an Indo-European root shared by lung.Extra examples As soon as it grew light, we got up and dressed. It stays light for so long on these summer evenings. It was almost light outside. It was barely light yet. It was not light enough to see things clearly. It was starting to get light. The bottle felt strangely light between my fingers. The punishment can be remarkably light. The sky turned light once more. The tent is light enough for backpacking and touring. The traffic is usually fairly light in the afternoons. The whole house was beautifully light and airy. Trading volume remains light. We’ll set out as soon as it’s completely light. a deliciously light alternative to cake wearing only very light clothes Do you need some light reading for the beach? He was convicted of assaulting a police officer but he got off with a light sentence. He’s got light blue eyes. It gets light at about 5 o’clock. People with pale complexions should avoid wearing light colours. We’ll leave in the morning as soon as it’s light. a pale light/glow/sky light reading/fiction/entertainment/comedy/music/opera pale/light blue/green/yellow/orange/red/pink/purple/grey/brown pale/light colours/shades/tonesIdioms
adjective jump to other results
BrE BrE//laɪt//; NAmE NAmE//laɪt//
(lighter, lightest) Texture of food, Describing a story, Describing work, Materials and properties, Taste of food(British English) to not have enough of something We seem to be light on fuel.
the ability to deal with something in a delicate and relaxed way She handles this difficult subject with a light touch.
to treat something as not being important and not serious I didn’t mean to make light of your injuries.
to do something quickly and with little effort
(saying) used to say that a job is made easier if a lot of people help
Check pronunciation: light
