lamppost

American

[lamp-pohst] / ˈlæmpˌpoʊst /

noun

a post, usually of metal, supporting a lamp that lights a street, park, etc.

lamppost British

/ ˈlæmpˌpəʊst /

noun

a post supporting a lamp, esp in a street

"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

Etymology

Origin of lamppost

First recorded in 1780–90; lamp + post ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A vertical lamppost splits the scene roughly into halves.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2025

A blue tent was visible near the front of a terraced property which was guarded by a police car and unicorn toys had been left tied to a lamppost nearby.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2024

Nearby, a plaque attached to a lamppost read “1968 Strikers Lane” — a small reminder, like so many others in this city, of the father taken from him when he was a boy.

From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2023

A six-story-high Cat in the Hat balloon struck part of a lamppost at West 72nd Street and Central Park West, injuring four people.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2023

Christopher stared as a phoenix came to roost atop a lamppost; nobody looked twice.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023