lit
verb
a simple past tense and past participle of light.
lit
1 American
[lit]
/ lɪt /
verb
adjective
-
Slang. under the influence of liquor or narcotics; intoxicated (usually followed byup ).
-
Slang. amazing; awesome; cool (used as a general term of approval).
Today's rally was really lit!
lit
2
American
[lit]
/ lɪt /
verb
lit
3
American
[lit]
/ lɪt /
noun
Informal.
lit
4
American
[lit]
/ lɪt /
noun
lit.
5
American
abbreviation
-
liter; liters.
-
literal.
-
literally.
-
literary.
-
literature.
Lit.
6
American
abbreviation
lit.
1
British
abbreviation
-
literal(ly)
-
literary
-
literature
lit
2
British
/ lɪt /
Etymology
Origin of lit1
First recorded in 1895–1900 in the sense “intoxicated”
Origin of lit3
First recorded in 1850–55; by shortening
Explanation
If something's lit, it's illuminated with light from a lamp or other source. Your romantic dinner table might be lit only with flickering candles. A well-lit room provides enough light for whatever task you need to to there — your kitchen might be lit with under-cabinet lights that shine on the counters, and your office might be lit with a desk lamp. Lit also means "set on fire," like a lit campfire or a glowing, lit stick of incense. If you're studying American literature in school, you might describe it using the colloquial shorthand, "American lit."
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.
Outside, there are all manner of amenities to entertain even the most active of guests, including a swimming pool, a separate spa, a lit tennis court, and a dock.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
Hard to know until the results of the June 2 jungle primary roll in, but his cheeky AI videos spoofing California’s progressive leaders have certainly lit up social media.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026
On a sunny afternoon in the spring of 2023, my phone lit up with texts from several friends sharing a video of Vice President Kamala Harris leaving a Washington, D.C., record store.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
“You will have central transparency of all of the trading and quoting activity that’s occurring in the lit venues and dark pools around the world.”
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
From a distance Penn Station looks like a postcard, still and silent, the tall facade lit from below by the gas lamps lining the street.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
