Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

lighter

1 American  
[lahy-ter] / ˈlaɪ tər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that lights or ignites.

  2. a mechanical device used in lighting cigarettes, cigars, or pipes for smoking.

lighter 2 American  
[lahy-ter] / ˈlaɪ tər /

noun

  1. a large, open, flat-bottomed barge, used in unloading and loading ships offshore or in transporting goods for short distances in shallow waters.

verb (used with object)

  1. to convey in or as if in a lighter.

lighter 1 British  
/ ˈlaɪtə /

noun

  1. a small portable device for providing a naked flame or red-hot filament to light cigarettes, etc

  2. a person or thing that ignites something

"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
lighter 2 British  
/ ˈlaɪtə /

noun

  1. a flat-bottomed barge used for transporting cargo, esp in loading or unloading a ship

"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

Etymology

Origin of lighter1

First recorded in 1545–55; light 1 + -er 1

Origin of lighter2

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; light 3, -er 1

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.