lighting

American  

[lahy-ting] / ˈlaɪ tɪŋ /

noun

• lightings
  plural

1. the act of igniting or illuminating.

   the lighting of many candles; the annual lighting of the Christmas tree.

2. the arrangement of lights to achieve particular effects.

   to work out the lighting for one's living room.

3. an effect achieved by the arrangement of lights.

   Several critics praised the lighting of the play.

4. the science, theory, or method of achieving particular effects by the use of lights.

5. the way light falls upon a face, object, etc., especially in a picture.

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lighting British  

/ ˈlaɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or quality of illumination or ignition

2. the apparatus for supplying artificial light effects to a stage, film, or television set

3. the distribution of light on an object or figure, as in painting, photography, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-lighting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lightings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of lighting

First recorded before 1000; Middle English lightinge, Old English līhting; equivalent to light ¹ + -ing ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lighting lightings

Neurologists have warned the singer, however, about the risks involved in performing, including that the lighting and sound can cause stress in the body.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

"You notice the work done on textures and lighting" that really "elevates the original material", he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Such changes will vary in cost and might mean adding a stairlift, better lighting, handrails, nonslip surfaces, a safer bathroom or even relocating a bedroom to the main floor.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

"These images might be altered using photo-editing tools or filters, people standing in particular poses, use of lighting, lots could even be AI-generated," she says.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

I tried lighting a smudge in a tin can in the middle of the canoe as I paddled—which worked for mosquitoes—but it didn’t bother the flies at all.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

In recent weeks, the 63-year-old leftist has been dancing on stage at rallies, calmly strolling trade expos and attending Christmas tree lightings hand-in-hand with his wife.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025

“Let’s rededicate ourselves to add more light in honor of those murdered in Sydney. Let’s come out proudly to public menorah lightings, and make sure to kindle our own menorahs at home.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2025

The resurgence of song has indeed been brightening the season, whether at tree lightings with lusty caroling or the rousing guest performance by the Northwell Health Nurse Choir at a concert Monday at Carnegie Hall.

From New York Times ● Dec. 10, 2021

Menorah lightings grew in prominence during the Clinton years.

From Salon ● Dec. 11, 2020

The jack permits of a large number of lightings and extinctions being effected before it becomes necessary to wind up its clockwork movement.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 447, July 26, 1884 by Various

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