lava lamp

noun

plural lava lamps
: a decorative lamp constructed of a transparent glass container filled with liquid and wax that is heated by an incandescent bulb which melts the wax and causes it to form random moving shapes within the liquid
Lava lamps are back—and not just among retro hipsters lounging on shag rugs and waterbeds.Richard A. Kerr
The lava lamp on my son's bureau gives him a vantage point to ponder the colorful blobs rising and falling as their temperature and density change.Benjamin A. Brooks

Examples of lava lamp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Both Meyers and Mork had fond memories of the giant lava lamp in Reubens’s house, though the two couldn’t agree on the size. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 May 2025 Multiple extraterrestrials appear inspired by a lava lamp. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025 Despite this profound lack of spelling prowess, the model did come up with numerous interesting examples of ketchup bottle context, including a ketchup bottle floating in a pool, a bottle that looks like a lava lamp, and a Heinz-like product enshrined in a stained glass window. John Werner, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025 Just like how paraffin wax rises and cools in a lava lamp, convection within planets sees hot materials rise and cool materials sink, forming a sort of conveyor belt of movement. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025 Imagine Ariana Grande being asked this question — the dewy incredulity, lit from within like a carefree human lava lamp. Heather Havrilesky, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025 Sinuous vines, mosses and fungi — some looking like luminescent teacups, others like miniature red lava lamps — grew anywhere there was space. Mihir Zaveri, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025 These large pockets of molten material rise through the Earth from deep inside its interior, much like the movement in a lava lamp. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 23 Jan. 2025 Previously, scientists suggested Charon had formed through another scenario: A celestial body catastrophically smashed into Pluto, generating a massive amount heat from the impact that would have made the bodies behave in a fluid-like manner, like silly putty or blobs in a lava lamp. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lava lamp was in 1965

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Cite this Entry

“Lava lamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lava%20lamp. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

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