alight
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to dismount from a horse, descend from a vehicle, etc.
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to settle or stay after descending.
The bird alighted on the tree.
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to encounter or notice something accidentally.
adverb
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provided with light; lighted up.
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on fire; burning.
verb
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(usually foll by from) to step out (of) or get down (from)
to alight from a taxi
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to come to rest; settle; land
a thrush alighted on the wall
adjective
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burning; on fire
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illuminated; lit up
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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alightsimple
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alightssimple
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have alightedperfect
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have alitperfect
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has alightedperfect
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has alitperfect
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am alightingprogressive
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are alightingprogressive
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is alightingprogressive
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have been alightingperfect progressive
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has been alightingperfect progressive
Past
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alightedsimple
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alitsimple
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had alightedperfect
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had alitperfect
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was alightingprogressive
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were alightingprogressive
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had been alightingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of alight1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English alighten, Old English ālīhtan; equivalent to a- 3 + light 3 )
Origin of alight2
First recorded before 1000; originally past participle of alight “to light up,” Middle English alihten, Old English onlīhtan, equivalent to a- 1 + light 1 )
Explanation
The word alight has two distinct meanings: it can mean coming down or settling in a delicate manner, such as a bird perching, or it can be a rather poetic way to describe something that’s on fire (or “afire”). Just as the word alight has two distinct grammatical forms and meanings, it has two distinct beginnings in the Old English. That period’s word ālīhtan had an original meaning of dismounting, or lightening the load on the horse, and so is the ancestor of the verb we use today that means "to settle or perch." Meanwhile, the word onlīhtan (see the different spelling?) of that same time meant to be on fire, which became our adjectival use of the word.
Vocabulary lists containing alight
Fahrenheit 451
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Lord of the Flies
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Mythology
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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.
Witnesses said the fire may have been started by a power line that fell and set scrubland alight but there was no official confirmation.
From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026
The dramatic moment that lightning hit the roof, setting it alight, was captured by another resident.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
He found a city rebuilding itself: a functioning airport, paved roads some lined with restaurants and street lighting keeping once-feared neighbourhoods alight after dark.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
“The big question mark for me is what’s going to happen in Asia,” she says, adding that what would really set the stocks alight would be a recovery in Chinese travel numbers.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
But here he was, his eyes alight, talking about carrying people to safety, how his arrival at any given house or overpass was met with cheers and thanks.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
