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.

You Dean Mears took the light out of my life.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2025

For others, it’s when they first realize they’ve finished dinner and it’s still light out, or when the first crocuses poke up through the snow.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2024

It’s almost 5 p.m. and it’s still light out!

From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2023

Be sure it rides low on your nose to keep light out.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2022

A smoky light out there in the valley.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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