lamp

American  

[lamp] / læmp /

noun

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

• lampless
  adjective

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

Mr. Rowan is managing editor of the Lamp.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

“I saw a woman cross the street with a Cup Noodles, and they handcuffed her,” said Shannon Murray of Lamp Community, a Skid Row agency for homeless people with mental health issues.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2025

She'll provide the soundtrack as a flame is put to the Lamp Light of Peace, representing an end to the darkness of war.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2025

"Multidisciplinary biomedical research that integrates talented computer scientists like Josephine Lamp with experts in clinical medicine will be critical to helping our patients benefit from AI in the coming years and decades."

From Science Daily • May 14, 2024

“I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?”

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• flashlight
• light