lewis

[ loo-is ]

noun
  1. a device for lifting a dressed stone, consisting of a number of pieces fitting together to fill a dovetailed recess cut into the stone.

Origin of lewis

1
First recorded in 1730–40; perhaps after the surname of the inventor

Words Nearby lewis

Other definitions for Lewis (2 of 2)

Lewis
[ loo-is ]

noun
  1. Carl Frederick Carlton Lewis, born 1961, U.S. track and field athlete.

  2. C(live) S(ta·ples) [klahyv-stey-puhlz], /ˈklaɪv ˈsteɪ pəlz/, 1898–1963, English novelist and essayist, known for The Chronicles of Narnia. Pen names: Clive Hamilton, N. W. Clerk.

  1. Edward, 1918–2004, U.S. biologist: shared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1995.

  2. Gilbert Newton, 1875–1946, U.S. chemist.

  3. (Harry) Sinclair, 1885–1951, U.S. novelist, playwright, and journalist: Nobel Prize in Literature 1930.

  4. Henry, 1932–96, U.S. orchestral conductor.

  5. Isaac Newton, 1858–1931, U.S. soldier and inventor.

  6. Jerry Lee, 1935–2022, U.S. country-and-western and rock-'n'-roll singer, musician, and composer.

  7. John (Aaron), 1920–2001, U.S. jazz pianist, composer, and musical director.

  8. John L(lewellyn), 1880–1969, U.S. labor leader.

  9. Matthew Gregory "Monk", 1775–1809, English novelist, dramatist, and poet, known for the genre of Gothic horror.

  10. Mer·i·weth·er [mer-i-weth-er], /ˈmɛr ɪˌwɛð ər/, 1774–1809, U.S. explorer: leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition 1804–06.

  11. (Per·cy) Wynd·ham [pur-see win-duhm], /ˈpɜr si ˈwɪn dəm/, 1884–1957, English novelist, essayist, and painter who cofounded the movement of vorticism; born in Canada.

  12. R(ichard) W(arrington) B(aldwin), 1917–2002, U.S. biographer, literary critic, and scholar.

  13. a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use lewis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lewis (1 of 3)

lewis

lewisson (ˈluːɪsən)

/ (ˈluːɪs) /


noun
  1. a lifting device for heavy stone or concrete blocks consisting of a number of curved pieces of metal or wedges fitting into a dovetailed recess cut into the block

Origin of lewis

1
C18: perhaps from the name of the inventor

British Dictionary definitions for Lewis (2 of 3)

Lewis1

/ (ˈluːɪs) /


noun
  1. the N part of the island of Lewis with Harris, in the Outer Hebrides. Pop: about 17 000 (2001). Area: 1634 sq km (631 sq miles)

British Dictionary definitions for Lewis (3 of 3)

Lewis2

/ (ˈluːɪs) /


noun
  1. Carl. full name Frederick Carleton Lewis . born 1961, US athlete; winner of the long jump, 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1984 Olympic Games; winner of the 100 metres in the 1988 Olympic Games; winner of the long jump in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games

  1. C (live) S (taples). 1898–1963, English novelist, critic, and Christian apologist, noted for his critical work, Allegory of Love (1936), his theological study, The Screwtape Letters (1942), and for his children's books chronicling the land of Narnia

  2. Lennox. born 1965, Canadian and British boxer; won Olympic gold (1988) for Canada in the superheavyweight division; won various professional heavyweight titles between 1994 and 2004

  3. Matthew Gregory, known as Monk Lewis. 1775–1818, English novelist and dramatist, noted for his Gothic horror story The Monk (1796)

  4. Meriwether. 1774–1807, American explorer who, with William Clark, led an overland expedition from St Louis to the Pacific Ocean (1804–06)

  5. (John) Saunders (ˈsɔːndəz). 1893–1985, Welsh poet, dramatist, critic, and politician: founder (1926) and president (1926–39) of the Welsh Nationalist Party

  6. (Harry) Sinclair. 1885–1951, US novelist. He satirized the complacency and philistinism of American small-town life, esp in Main Street (1920) and Babbitt (1922): Nobel prize for literature 1930

  7. Wally. born 1959, Australian rugby league player; played 33 matches for Australia (1981–91), scoring 11 tries

  8. (Percy) Wyndham. 1884–1957, British painter, novelist, and critic, born in the US: a founder of vorticism. His writings include Time and Western Man (1927), The Apes of God (1930), and the trilogy The Human Age (1928–55)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012