Illustration of light bulb
- 1 bulb containing gas
- 2 filament
- 3 connecting and supporting wires
- 4 exhaust tube
- 5 screw base
- 6 base contact
light bulb
noun
variants
or lightbulb
plural light bulbs or lightbulbs
: an electric lamp: such as
a
: one in which a filament gives off light when heated to incandescence by an electric current
called also incandescent, incandescent lamp
b
: one having a coating of fluorescent material on its inner surface that emits visible light : fluorescent lamp
especially
: compact fluorescent light
c
: one using LEDs to generate light
Examples of light bulb in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What’s going on in the middle of a storm that’s been around since before light bulbs, cars, and airplanes?
—
Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2024
But then a light bulb went off at Gillette Stadium: The locker room was going to be open to the media Thursday morning, meaning the beat writers would be talking with dozens of chatty twentysomethings who grew up on social media.
—Steve Buckley, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024
This 15-inch ceramic tree from Best Choice Products is hand-painted with light and dark green accents and features 64 light bulbs that glow in beautiful colors.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2024
At that stage, an ejection late in the game comes with less damage than a Yankees lineup that has all the energy of a 15-watt light bulb.
—Maury Brown, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for light bulb 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2024
But then a light bulb went off at Gillette Stadium: The locker room was going to be open to the media Thursday morning, meaning the beat writers would be talking with dozens of chatty twentysomethings who grew up on social media.
—Steve Buckley, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024
This 15-inch ceramic tree from Best Choice Products is hand-painted with light and dark green accents and features 64 light bulbs that glow in beautiful colors.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2024
At that stage, an ejection late in the game comes with less damage than a Yankees lineup that has all the energy of a 15-watt light bulb.
—Maury Brown, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for light bulb
Dictionary Entries Near light bulb
Cite this Entry
“Light bulb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light%20bulb. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lightbulb
noun
light·bulb
ˈlīt-ˌbəlb 
: an electric lamp: as
a
: one in which a filament gives off light when heated by an electric current
called also incandescent lamp
b
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share