lake

1 of 3

noun (1)

often attributive
: a considerable inland body of standing water
also : a pool of other liquid (such as lava, oil, or pitch)
lakelike adjective

lake

2 of 3

noun (2)

1
a
: a purplish red pigment prepared from lac or cochineal
b
: any of numerous usually bright translucent organic pigments composed essentially of a soluble dye absorbed on or combined with an inorganic carrier
2
laky adjective

lake

3 of 3

verb

laked; laking

transitive verb

: to cause (blood) to undergo a physiological change in which the hemoglobin becomes dissolved in the plasma

intransitive verb

of blood : to undergo the process by which hemoglobin becomes dissolved in the plasma

Examples of lake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Up north near the Michigan state line, the University of Notre Dame boasts two lakes and multiple quad spaces for people to meander. Alysa Guffey, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Sep. 2024 On Wednesday afternoon at Lake Elsinore Market, as the sun began to set, the silhouette of helicopters dropping water from the nearby lake could be seen. Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2024 State hatcheries produce juvenile fish for limited fishing in the Black and Little Colorado rivers and Silver Creek, and at several lakes. Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 10 Sep. 2024 South of Smiths Falls, the watery route makes its way across several lakes and through the narrow channel at Rideau Ferry. Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lake 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English, Anglo-French, & Latin; Old English lacu stream, pool, from Latin lacus lake, pool, pit & Anglo-French lac pit, from Latin lacus; akin to Old English lagu sea, Greek lakkos pond

Noun (2)

French laque lac, from Old Occitan laca, from Arabic lakk — more at lacquer

First Known Use

Noun (1)

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1903, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of lake was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near lake

Cite this Entry

“Lake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lake. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

lake

noun
ˈlāk
: a large inland body of standing water
also : a pool of liquid (as oil or pitch)

Medical Definition

lake

verb
laked; laking

transitive verb

: to cause (blood) to undergo a physiological change in which the hemoglobin becomes dissolved in the plasma

intransitive verb

of blood : to undergo the process by which hemoglobin becomes dissolved in the plasma
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!