light bulb

American  

noun

1. an electric light.

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light bulb British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: bulb.  a glass bulb containing a gas, such as argon or nitrogen, at low pressure and enclosing a thin metal filament that emits light when an electric current is passed through it

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Etymology

Origin of light bulb

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The thing’s a collection of keys and wires and light bulbs, powered by a battery.

From Literature

He points to the "commissariat", a central department within the oil camps that not only provided subsidised food but also maintained the workers' homes, with fresh coats of paint and new light bulbs.

From BBC

Do you know why the symbol of an idea is a light bulb?

From Literature

They’d shared an incubator—it was just a white towel under a light bulb—but once you shared an incubator with a lizard, that lizard stayed your friend.

From Literature

So many cartoons depict great ideas using light bulbs that we’ve forgotten many of the greatest ideas come about from long deliberation and careful winnowing.

From Los Angeles Times