lamp

noun

ˈlamp 

1

a

: any of various devices for producing light or sometimes heat: such as

(1)

: a vessel with a wick for burning an inflammable liquid (such as oil) to produce light

(2)

: a glass bulb or tube that emits light produced by electricity (such as an incandescent light bulb or fluorescent lamp)

b

: a decorative appliance housing a lamp that is usually covered by a shade

2

: a celestial body

3

: a source of intellectual or spiritual illumination

4

: eye sense 1a

—usually used in plural

Synonyms of lamp

• light
• lighting
• candle
• headlight
• flashlight

Examples of lamp in a Sentence

I didn't realize it had gotten so dark in the room until my wife came in and turned on the lamp, momentarily blinding me.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tame Cords If the back of your desk or TV looks like a twisted web of tangled electronics, charging, and lamp cords, use rubber bands to control the chaos. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 June 2026

On a drizzly Saturday morning late last month, the basement of the New Paltz United Methodist Church filled with old lamps, blunt knives, malfunctioning sound mixers and balky zippers. —ABC News, 7 June 2026

No trim, surface, picture frame, vase, or lamp goes unnoticed in this North Carolina mountain cottage, where a distinct color palette and a strong undercurrent of whimsy tie together each room in Elizabeth and Alex Brooks’ home. —Ella Field, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2026

Instead, its discreet entrance beckons you into a foyer alight with more than a dozen dangling glass lamps crafted by Barovier & Toso of Murano, and a sketch-like portrait of the actress Monica Vitti by the Franco-Chinese painter Yan Pei-Ming. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French lampe, from Latin lampas, from Greek, from lampein to shine; akin to Hittite lap- to burn

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing lamp

• arc lamp
• compact fluorescent lamp
• discharge lamp
• floor lamp
• fluorescent lamp
• fog lamp
• glow lamp
• incandescent lamp
• lava lamp
• mercury-vapor lamp
• oil lamp
• quartz-iodine lamp
• safety lamp
• smoking lamp
• sodium lamp
• sodium-vapor lamp
• standard lamp
• student lamp

Rhymes for lamp

• amp
• champ
• clamp
• cramp
• damp
• gamp
• ramp
• samp
• scamp
• stamp
• tamp
• tramp

Kids Definition

lamp

noun

ˈlamp 

: a device for producing light or heat

Medical Definition

lamp

noun

ˈlamp 

: any of various devices for producing light or heat see kromayer lamp, slit lamp