Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump to:
  • lila
    lila
    noun
    creation, seen as the playful activity of a god.
  • Lila
    Lila
    noun
    a female given name, form of Leila.

lila

1 American  
[lee-lah] / ˈli lɑ /

noun

Hinduism.

  1. creation, seen as the playful activity of a god.

Lila 2 American  
[lahy-luh] / ˈlaɪ lə /

noun

  1. a female given name, form of Leila.

Etymology

Origin of lila

First recorded in 1820–30, lila is from the Sanskrit word līlā play, sport, diversion

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.

Inspired by ending her engagement with an ex-Amazon executive, Lila Raicek debuts “The Plunge.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

I don’t think the reader’s sympathies are supposed to necessarily stay with Lila.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

In Glenn’s fiction debut, Lila Devlin, once one of the most famous actresses on the planet, returns to Los Angeles 10 years after the kidnapping and death of her daughter, Josie.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Elena assumes “an attitude of absolute detachment” after Lila impulsively steals the boy she loves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Lila screamed when Darren held it up, and Josie made fake barfing sounds, and Hillary and two other girls pretended like they were fainting, but all the boys thought it was really cool.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.