lighting

American  

[lahy-ting] / ˈlaɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of igniting or illuminating.

   the lighting of many candles; the annual lighting of the Christmas tree.

2. the arrangement of lights to achieve particular effects.

   to work out the lighting for one's living room.

3. an effect achieved by the arrangement of lights.

   Several critics praised the lighting of the play.

4. the science, theory, or method of achieving particular effects by the use of lights.

5. the way light falls upon a face, object, etc., especially in a picture.

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lighting British  

/ ˈlaɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or quality of illumination or ignition

2. the apparatus for supplying artificial light effects to a stage, film, or television set

3. the distribution of light on an object or figure, as in painting, photography, etc

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Other Word Forms

• self-lighting adjective

Etymology

Origin of lighting

First recorded before 1000; Middle English lightinge, Old English līhting; equivalent to light ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

St Michael and All Angels church in the village said it would be joining in prayer and lighting candles on Sunday afternoon.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Adams’ production creates a cinematic penumbra through the projections of Ruey Horng Sun, a soundscape by Sinan Refik Zafar that lyrically underscores the actions and the emotionally attuned lighting of Reza Behjat.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

Searching for the source of a lighting failure he opened a fuse box: “It looked like an exploded firecracker.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

"In areas where lighting increased, we found global emissions rose by 34 percent. This was offset by an 18 percent decrease in emissions from other areas."

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

The brightness was orange and yellow, lighting the sky.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret