light bulb
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of light bulb
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
Among the answers: a small ink-stained mahogany desk, an antique light bulb, a brown leather flight suit and a baseball jersey.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
On the drive home, Scanlon, 33, had a light bulb moment: “What I love doing is something most people find totally overwhelming and exhausting,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
Blog comment sections were notoriously dynamic, full of debate and discussion and lots of light bulb moments for writers and readers alike.
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026
“That’s when the light bulb went off for me. Why not bring some of these beautiful plants from the hills into our yard?”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025
A naked light bulb burned on a cord swinging from the ceiling, casting sharp shadows on the wall behind the mantelpiece, and in the corner where Calpurnia sat.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
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.
