| / English Dictionary |
LIGHTER
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A flatbottom boat for carrying heavy loads (especially on canals)
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("lighter" is a kind of...):
boat (a small vessel for travel on water)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lighter"):
dredger (a barge (or a vessel resembling a barge) that is used for dredging)
houseboat (a barge that is designed and equipped for use as a dwelling)
pontoon ((nautical) a floating structure (as a flat-bottomed boat) that serves as a dock or to support a bridge)
scow (a barge carrying bulk materials in an open hold)
Norfolk wherry; wherry (sailing barge used especially in East Anglia)
Derivation:
lighter (transport in a flatbottom boat)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A device for lighting or igniting fuel or charges or fires
Example:
do you have a light?
Synonyms:
igniter; ignitor; light; lighter
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("lighter" is a kind of...):
device (an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lighter"):
cigar lighter; cigarette lighter; pocket lighter (a lighter for cigars or cigarettes)
fuse; fusee; fuze; fuzee; primer; priming (any igniter that is used to initiate the burning of a propellant)
friction match; lucifer; match (lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction)
match (a burning piece of wood or cardboard)
Derivation:
light (cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
Synonyms:
igniter; ignitor; lighter
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("lighter" is a kind of...):
fuel (a substance that can be consumed to produce energy)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lighter"):
firelighter ((a piece of) a substance that burns easily and can be used to start a coal or coke fire)
kindling; punk; spunk; tinder; touchwood (material for starting a fire)
punk (substance that smolders when ignited; used to light fuses (especially fireworks))
Derivation:
light (cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Transport in a flatbottom boat
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "lighter" is one way to...):
transport (move something or somebody around; usually over long distances)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Derivation:
lighter (a flatbottom boat for carrying heavy loads (especially on canals))
lighterage (the transportation of goods on a lighter)
lighterage (the fee charged for carrying goods in lighters)
Context examples:
He waved back to them, and then hastened on, the lighter of heart for having fallen in with these strange men of pleasure.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
What we have demonstrated is that, by regulating this particular interaction, the evolution is decreased, and it also brings the condition to a lighter state, Ferreira said.
(Molecule created in Brazil helps fight heart failure, Agência Brasil)
The electrons are over a thousand times lighter than the ions.
(Solar Eruptions Could Electrify Martian Moons, NASA)
Such zones are found where two of Earth's tectonic plates collide, with the heavier plate sinking beneath the lighter one and moving material into Earth's interior.
(Major deep carbon sink linked to microbes at volcanic island chains, National Science Foundation)
It is found in gasoline, lighter fluid, and some aerosol sprays.
(Butane, NCI Dictionary)
The stand-off double coat has a distinctive gray color with a lighter undercoat and undersides.
(Norwegian Elkhound, NCI Thesaurus)
There is increasing interest around the world in using timber as a lighter, more sustainable construction alternative to steel and concrete.
(Revealing the nanostructure of wood could help raise height limits for wooden skyscrapers, University of Cambridge)
Young bedbugs (called nymphs) are smaller and lighter in color.
(Bedbugs, Environmental Protection Agency)
Injured rats treated with morphine were sensitive for longer and to a higher degree; lighter touches caused them to withdraw their paws from the stimulus more often than saline-treated animals.
(Opioid Pain Relievers May Prolong Pain, NIH)
She compromised, however, by taking upon herself the lighter labours of cooking and gathering driftwood and moss for our winter’s supply.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
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