a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size, surrounded by land.
any similar body or pool of other liquid, as oil.
any of various pigments prepared from animal, vegetable, or coal-tar coloring matters by chemical or other union with metallic compounds.
a red pigment prepared from lac or cochineal by combination with a metallic compound.
an expanse of water entirely surrounded by land and unconnected to the sea except by rivers or streams
anything resembling this
a surplus of a liquid commodity
a wine lake
a bright pigment used in textile dyeing and printing inks, produced by the combination of an organic colouring matter with an inorganic compound, usually a metallic salt, oxide, or hydroxide See also mordant
a red dye obtained by combining a metallic compound with cochineal
before 1000; Middle English lak ( e ), lac ( e ), apparently a conflation of Old French lac, its source, Latin lacus (compare Greek lákkos, Old Irish loch, Old English, Old Saxon lagu sea, water) and Old English lacu stream, water course (compare leccan to moisten, modern dial. lake stream, channel; see leach 1)
First recorded in 1610–20; variant of lac 1
A lake is a large body of water that is surrounded by land. The lake's water can be fresh (like Lake Michigan) or, more rarely, salty (like the Great Salt Lake). A lake is generally accepted as being bigger than a "pond." Lake is also a type of pigment or dye that is made when a dye that can dissolve is mixed with a metallic salt or other binder that is incapable of being dissolved, rendering an insoluble pigment. Indigo lake, for example, is a blue pigment that was originally made from the woad plant but later from the indigo plant. Carmine or crimson lake, on the other hand, is made from crushed cochineal insects and is a red pigment.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was a Saturday, and the sky above the lake was shockingly clear.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
The council said it was carrying out regular visual monitoring of the lake and arranging toxin testing, adding that warning signs will remain in place until the required safety criteria under the protocol is met.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The bones were preserved in the Tsubusugawa Formation, a layer of ancient lake sediments from the Pliocene dating to about 3.5 million years ago.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
According to ABC 7, a couple spotted Jackie sparring with two younger eagles on the lake shore last Friday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Jonathan took off his shoes and socks and waded in ankle-deep, curling his toes around the small stones that covered the lake bottom.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
But the matriarch isn’t out of the woods yet after being found weak and unable to fly on the north shore of Big Bear Lake on July 18.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The thing that helped most was finding my own secret garden, a nearby bird sanctuary that crags out over Lake Michigan.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
England's Morgan Lake did not clear the bar with any of her three efforts in the high jump.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Candle Lake also owns around 28% of online sports betting and gaming company Flutter Entertainment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The mountain’s peak sparkled as usual, and its reflection rippled on the surface of Loomis Lake.
From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis
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.
