1. A device for lighting or igniting fuel or charges or fires
   "do you have a lighter?";
   - light, igniter, ignitor
    
2. A substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
   "He used a chemical lighter to start the campfire quickly";
   - igniter, ignitor
    
3. A flatbottom boat for carrying heavy loads (especially on canals)
   "The lighter transported coal along the canal";
   - barge, flatboat, hoy

1. Transport in a flatbottom boat
   "They lightered the cargo to shore"

1. Of comparatively little physical weight or density
   "a light load"; "magnesium is a light metal — having a specific gravity of 1.74 at 20 degrees C"
    
2. (used of colour) having a relatively small amount of colouring agent
   "light blue"; "light colours such as pastels"; "a light-coloured powder"; "light-coloured blue";
   - light-colored [US], light-coloured [Brit, Cdn]
    
3. Not great in degree, quantity or number
   "casualties were light"; "light snow was falling"; "light misty rain"; "light smoke from the chimney"; "a light sentence"; "a light accent"
    
4. Characterized by or emitting light
   "a room that is light when the shutters are open"; "the inside of the house was airy and light"
    
5. Moving easily and quickly; nimble
   "the dancer was light and graceful"; "walked with a light tripping step";
   - lightsome, tripping
    
6. Demanding little effort; not burdensome
   "light housework"; "light exercise"
    
7. Of little intensity, power or force
   "the light touch of her fingers"; "a light breeze"
    
8. Having little importance
   "losing his job was no light matter"
    
9. Designed for ease of movement or to carry little weight
   "light aircraft"; "a light truck"
    
10. (of sound or colour) free from anything that dulls or dims
    "a light lilting voice like a silver bell";
    - clean, clear, unclouded
     
11. Free from sadness or troubles
    "a light heart"
     
12. Intended primarily as entertainment; not serious or profound
    "light verse"; "a light comedy"
     
13. Silly or trivial
    "light banter"; "light idle chatter";
    - idle
     
14. Having relatively few calories
    "light beer"; "light mayonnaise"; "cola light";
    - lite, low-cal
     
15. Marked by temperance in indulgence
    "a light eater"; "ate a light supper";
    - abstemious
     
16. Of the military or industry; using (or being) relatively small or light arms or equipment
    "light industry"; "light weapons"; "light infantry"; "light cavalry"
     
17. (used of vowels or syllables) pronounced with little or no stress
    "a syllable that ends in a short vowel is a light syllable";
    - unaccented, weak
     
18. Easily assimilated in the alimentary canal; not rich or heavily seasoned
    "a light diet"
     
19. (used of soil) loose and large-grained in consistency
    "light soil"
     
20. (physics, chemistry) not having atomic weight greater than average
    "light water is ordinary water"
     
21. Weak and likely to lose consciousness
    "felt light in the head"; "light-headed with wine";
    - faint, swooning, light-headed, lightheaded
     
22. Very thin and insubstantial
    "light summer dresses"
     
23. Less than the correct, legal or full amount, often deliberately
    "a light pound";
    - scant, short
     
24. (of sleep) easily disturbed
    "in a light doze"; "a light sleeper";
    - wakeful

Derived forms: lighters, lightered, lightering

See also: ablaze, airy, autofluorescent, bioluminescent, bright, buoyant, candent, candescent [rare], casual, deficient, digestible, easy, fat-free, fatless, floaty, floodlighted, floodlit, fluorescent, fooling, frivolous, gentle, ill, illuminated, incandescent, inflamed, insignificant, insufficient, lamplit, light, light-armed, light-duty, lighted, lighter-than-air, light-footed, lighting-up, lightly-armed, lightness, lightweight, lit, livid, loose, low-density, luminescent, nonfat, pale, palish, pastel, phosphorescent, powdery, pure, reddened, shallow, sick, soft, sunlit, sunny, sunstruck, temperate, thin, undemanding, unimportant, unstressed, value, weight, well-lighted, white

Type of: boat, device, fuel, transport

Antonym: dark, heavy

Encyclopedia: Lighter