lamp

American  

[lamp] / læmp /

noun

• lamps
  plural

1. any of various devices furnishing artificial light, as by electricity or gas.

2. a container for an inflammable liquid, as oil, which is burned at a wick as a means of illumination.

3. a source of intellectual or spiritual light.

   the lamp of learning.

4. any of various devices furnishing heat, ultraviolet, or other radiation.

   an infrared lamp.

5. a celestial body that gives off light, as the moon or a star.

6. a torch.

7. Slang. lamps, the eyes.

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verb (used with object)

1. Slang. to look at; eye.

idioms

1. smell of the lamp, to give evidence of laborious study or effort.

   His dissertation smells of the lamp.

lamp British  

/ læmp /

noun

1. 1. any of a number of devices that produce illumination

      an electric lamp

      a gas lamp

      an oil lamp

   2. ( in combination )

      lampshade

2. a device for holding one or more electric light bulbs

   a table lamp

3. a vessel in which a liquid fuel is burned to supply illumination

4. any of a variety of devices that produce radiation, esp for therapeutic purposes

   an ultraviolet lamp

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lampless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lamps
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lamp

1150–1200; Middle English lampe < Old French < Late Latin lampada, for Latin lampas (stem lampad- ) < Greek lampás lamp; akin to lámpē torch, lamp, lámpein to shine

Explanation

A lamp is a small appliance that holds an electric bulb and produces light. Your desk lamp might provide enough light for you to read by at night, or you may have to turn on a floor lamp too after the sun goes down. Today, most lamps use electricity and a light bulb to shine the light that we all need to work and live comfortably after daylight fades. There are also older-style oil lamps and gas lamps, which are more typically described as lanterns. The Greek root of lamp is lampas, "torch or beacon" and also "meteor," from lampein, "to shine."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lamp lamps

A woman approached the stall where Vadym and his wife, who sells porcelain, had laid out what they had left, and asked the price of an elegant lamp with a cream-coloured shade.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

When researchers positioned a white lamp so that its beam shone straight down, the isopods repeatedly gathered into large rotating circles.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026

Crews have repaved streets in downtown Washington and repainted lamp posts.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

It’s got a purple corded phone, a lava lamp, a beanbag chair … and it happens to be a habitat at a zoo on a planet of bug people.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

The L lights up on the lamp board.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

As does an intergenerational, odd-couple buddy tale with rings, lamps and mayhem played out across inner space, aka the American Midwest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The pattern persisted until artificial light changed the economics of the night: gas lamps began lighting London's streets in 1807, people stayed up later, the gap between the two sleeps narrowed and eventually closed.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

The modular couch is anchored on each side with Art-Deco influenced side tables, lamps and light blue slipper chairs he designed, setting up a cozy tableau for hosting his friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

Patni commemorated Akash with a framed photograph and a life-size cutout, decorated with flowers and surrounded by scattered rose petals and lit lamps.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

“Whoa. This is old-school. I think this is one of those old-fashioned lamps, the kind that uses kerosene.”

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• flashlight
• light