light out

British

verb

informal (intr, adverb) to depart quickly, as if being chased

"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

light out Idioms

Leave hastily, run away, as in Here comes the teacher—let's light out. This slangy idiom may allude to the nautical sense, that is, to move or lift anything along. [Slang; mid-1800s]

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.

See Examples For:

light out

I enjoy it when it’s not fully light out, maybe making myself a coffee or taking a walk to this place called Project Bloom Coffee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

You Dean Mears took the light out of my life.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2025

It might be the first time you realize you’re sweating in long sleeves, or step out of your office into warmer air, or eat dinner while it’s miraculously, implausibly still light out.

From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2023

"Now the president has to find a different way to keep the blue light out of his eyes," he added.

From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2023

The morning of the festival, I woke up before it was light out.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

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