lamppost

American

[lamp-pohst] / ˈlæmpˌpoʊst /

noun

a post, usually of metal, supporting a lamp that lights a street, park, etc.

lamppost British

/ ˈlæmpˌpəʊst /

noun

a post supporting a lamp, esp in a street

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lamppost

First recorded in 1780–90; lamp + post ¹

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.

A vertical lamppost splits the scene roughly into halves.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2025

An eye-witness described seeing one driver who had got out of his car who had strapped himself to a lamppost with his belt, to stop himself from being washed away.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2024

Nearby, a plaque attached to a lamppost read “1968 Strikers Lane” — a small reminder, like so many others in this city, of the father taken from him when he was a boy.

From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2023

By 10:09 a.m., the fallen lamppost had been removed.

From Washington Times • Nov. 21, 2023

And in his eyes, catching the light from a lamppost half a block away, I see tears.

From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

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