lighter.
A person who lights things.
Meaning & usage
A person who lights things.
a lighter of lamps
A device used to light things, especially a reusable handheld device for creating fire to light cigarettes.
Cigarette in mouth, he clutched his pockets in search of a lighter.
Where this word comes from
From light (“to ignite”) + -er. Cognate with Middle Dutch lichtere, lichter (“one who spreads light, illuminator”), Dutch lichter, luchter (“candle-holder, chandelier”). Compare also Middle English lightnere, liȝtnere (“one who enlightens or illuminates”).
A flat-bottomed boat for carrying heavy loads across short distances (especially for canals or for loading or unloading larger boats).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English lightere, lyghtere, equivalent to light (“to unload, lighten”) + -er. Compare West Frisian lichter (“lighter ship”), Dutch lichter (“lighter ship”), Middle Low German lichter, lüchter, lüchtære (“a small ship that lightens a load, lighter ship”).
To transfer (cargo or passengers) to or from a ship by means of a lighter or other small vessel.
To transfer cargo or fuel from (a ship), lightening it to make its draft less or to make it easier to refloat.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English lightere, lyghtere, equivalent to light (“to unload, lighten”) + -er. Compare West Frisian lichter (“lighter ship”), Dutch lichter (“lighter ship”), Middle Low German lichter, lüchter, lüchtære (“a small ship that lightens a load, lighter ship”).
comparative form of light: more light
I prefer a lighter shade of pink.
Where this word comes from
From light (“pale”) + -er (“comparative”).
comparative form of light: more light
What happened? You look 10 lbs. lighter!
I wish I'd thrown a lighter punch; he's out cold.
Where this word comes from
From light (“not heavy, weak”) + -er (“comparative”).
Try it on your idea.
lighter has 7 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.
These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.
Explore the name generatorA word with a source.
Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.