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.
See Examples For:
The October full Moon lit up skies around the world this weekend.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
It was dimly lit, and no one was dining inside.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
Meanwhile, stroads are often poorly lit at night, Sanders added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
The whale’s gullet is flickeringly lit by a bioluminescent jellyfish that Jay sort of befriends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
He truly did have a really nice smile, one that lit his eyes, making him appear open and trustworthy.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
“This was like magic. Then he gets the light lit. I say this is poetic, but it’s true. It lit the rest of my career. I was locked into science, mostly electricity.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
The overriding concern for any lamp, John Pawson said, is that “it has to look good when it’s not lit. That’s the goal.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2023
"The reason for the recall of the vehicles is the SRS warning light on the instrument panel is lit. An internal malfunction of the airbag module is possible," Rosstandard said in a statement.
From Reuters ● Aug. 8, 2022
"Holding onto anger is poison; forgiving is nectar. An angry grudge is like lighting a fire that destroys the place where it's lit. It burns your own heart first."
From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2021
"A lamp's lit. Look at those candles. Mom would never waste candles if no one was home."
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
My English Lit. is a little rusty, but I seem to remember a couple of writers named Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2018
“But the Academy course only lasts a year, not six like in Psychology. I’ll have to see what I do afterward. Maybe Lit. But I’m planning to keep writing.”
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 10, 2016
“If the English Lit. department walked out, nobody would’ve done anything.”
From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2015
Thus, in 1927, wrote Richard Weil Jr. in Yale's famed Lit. magazine.
From Time Magazine Archive
Stud. and Notes in Phil. and Lit., vii.
From The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W. Y. Evans Wentz
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
