lampshade

American  

[lamp-sheyd] / ˈlæmpˌʃeɪd /

noun

• lampshades
  plural

1. a shade, usually translucent or opaque, for shielding the glare of a light source in a lamp or for directing the light to a particular area.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lampshades
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lampshade

First recorded in 1840–50; lamp + shade

Explanation

A lampshade is a decorative cover that diffuses a lightbulb's brightness. Besides looking pretty, lampshades also prevent a light's glare from temporarily blinding you. If the naked bulb on your lamp casts a stark and blinding light, try putting a lampshade on top. This device does just what its name implies, shading the lamp's light in a pleasant way. Lampshades can be made of fabric, plastic, glass, or paper, and they come in an enormous variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Early 20th-century vaudeville performers created the enduring trope of a man with a lampshade on his head as the wacky life of the party.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lampshade lampshades

Mixing old and new is important, she says, referring to the House of Hackney hollyhock pattern she recently added to the walls of the living room and bedrooms, as well as the dining room lampshade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Like her grandfather and father, Ms Kynaston wanted to preserve this evidence and when her dad died, her mum came to live with her a brought the piece of lampshade with her.

From BBC ● May 5, 2025

In a video released by his campaign in August 2020, Biden is seen backing the car into the garage, where a messy pile of materials appears to include a cardboard box and a lampshade.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 2023

These are clearly not designed to be hidden in a lampshade but, rather, to be on display as beautiful light bulbs in open fixtures.

From The Verge ● Aug. 26, 2022

I yank the plug from the socket, throw the lampshade onto the bed, and crouch over the hard drive.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

From the ceiling hung a twisted glass chandelier by Eric Dunn, its spiked lampshades mimicking the tendrils of a brain’s dendrites.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2024

She notes BioKnit is already being used by designers to make lampshades, for example.

From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2023

The rugs and lampshades they produce are especially attractive to customers, with the company now exporting some products to Europe.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 7, 2023

In the hotel bar dangle a half-dozen “oysters”: jumbo mollusk-shaped lampshades that are pearly within, the better to softly reflect their light.

From New York Times ● Jul. 10, 2023

Bearded vendors draped in thin blankets sold animal- skin lampshades, carpets, embroidered shawls, and copper goods from rows of small, tightly jammed stalls.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini