What does "lamp" mean?
A device that generates heat, light or other radiation. Especially an electric light bulb.
Lamp
/læmp/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A device that generates heat, light or other radiation. Especially an electric light bulb.
- Grammar: lamp is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: arc light, battery lamp, beacon, brighten.
- Useful contrasts: darken, darkness, dim.
- Usage evidence: I'm going to sit on the bench over there next to the street lamp.
How to use "lamp"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lamp" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lamp" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lamp" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lamp" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lamp" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "arc light" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lamp", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A device that generates heat, light or other radiation. Especially an electric light bulb.
- 2 Acronym of loop-mediated isothermal amplification. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, countable, uncountable
- 3 an artificial source of visible illumination wordnet
- 4 A device containing oil, burnt through a wick for illumination; an oil lamp.
- 5 Acronym of lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, countable, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a piece of furniture holding one or more electric light bulbs wordnet
- 7 A piece of furniture holding one or more electric light sockets.
Verb
- 1 To hit, clout, belt, wallop. UK, slang
"All for the pleasure of lamping a twat in the face."
- 2 To hunt at night using a lamp, during which bright lights are used to dazzle the hunted animal or to attract insects for capture. Ireland, UK
- 3 To hang out or chill; to do nothing in particular. US, slang
"I'm in my Flavmobile cold lamping. I took a G upstate cold camping. To the Poconos, we call a hideaways. A bag of franks and a bag of Frito-Lays."
- 4 To make into a table lamp, said of a vase or urn, etc.
Proper Noun
- 1 Acronym of Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, and PHP/Python/Perl: a popular combination of open source software for use as a web server. Internet, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 2 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I'm going to sit on the bench over there next to the street lamp."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lamp"?
Common synonyms include: arc light, battery lamp, beacon, brighten, broadside, bulb.
How do you use "lamp" in a sentence?
I'm going to sit on the bench over there next to the street lamp.
How do you pronounce "lamp"?
Pronounced /læmp/.
Etymology
From Middle English laumpe, lampe, from Old French lampe (“lamp, light”), from Latin lampas (“torch, lamp, light”), from Ancient Greek λαμπάς (lampás, “torch, lamp, beacon, light, meteor”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂p- (“to shine”). Cognate with Lithuanian lópė (“light”), Welsh llachar (“bright”). Displaced native Old English lēohtfæt (literally “light-vat”).